Teens
by wolfishmeow
Summary: I suck at summaries.Basically, the  decomissioned  Sector V. Kids meet again in their teenage years. How will it work out? :o
1. Chapter 1

**Ch. 1  
(P.O.V : None)**

Kuki Sanban, a shy seventeen-year-old girl, laid in her bed on a late Sunday night. The wind blew, and rain poured from outside her window. She opened her journal._**  
School starts tomorrow. I wonder if I meet any new friends! I sure hope I do; last year was terrible…**__  
_She put down her pencil and closed her book. She slowly drifted asleep.

Awaking the next morning, she jumped out of bed and ran over to get closet. "_I have to make a good impression, don't I?_" she pondered, speaking aloud to herself. She scanned her closet, looking for the right outfit, when she eyed her green sweater. She put on a half-smile and grabbed it off the hanger. She wanted to look simple today; not liking people stare at her. Grabbing her black pants, she also put a green headband in her straight, raven-colored hair to match her outfit. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself, grabbing her backpack. Today was going to be the start of a great year, she hoped.

* * *

"Mom, I don't want to go to school," Nigel Uno exclaimed, as his mother tried to get him out of bed.  
"Don't make me get the water bucket!" his mom threatened him in a sing-song voice.  
"Okay, Mom, I'm up!"  
Trudging out of bed, Nigel opened his clothes drawer. He stared at his clothes choices. He decided just to wear a red-collared T-shirt and khaki shorts.  
"Don't forget to brush your hair," he heard a voice from downstairs say. "Very funny, Dad!" he responded, staring at his bald head. Nobody knew why he had never grown hair back, or even how he lost it, as a child.  
He made his way downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen, grabbing himself an apple and milk. Down went his food, and he started for the door. "Nigel," he heard a voice say ad cringed. He did not want a before-school lecture. He turned to his dad. "Yes sir?" he questioned. "Don't forget these," his dad said with a confident attitude, handing his son his glasses. Nigel headed for the door again and turned before waking out. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

"I am the alarm clock for lazy teens everywhere, whenever mothers call out to me! I am the guy that makes you say, 'Get off me!' I am The-"  
"TOMMY! Get off of me!"  
" Another mission accomplished by The Tommy!"  
Hoagie Gilligan rubbed his leg from where Tommy, his younger brother, jumped up on him. '_Why did mom have to send him up?_' he thought to himself and yawned, stretching every limb possible. '_That's right_,' he exclaimed in his head. _'Today's the first day of school!_' he ran out of bed and opened his dresser drawers. He examined his clothes. "Why did I ever have my mom get the same outfit twenty times," he said, groaning.  
"Because you wanted to look like a cartoon wearing the same clothes everyday!"  
"Tommy, get OUT!"  
' _Brothers, sheesh!_' he yelled in his head, while changing into his light blue shirt, white long-sleeve shirt, and brown pants. He grabbed his folder decorated with airplanes, his hat, and his backpack and ran to his second favorite place in the world; the kitchen.  
"Wow Mom, you've really outdone yourself today,'" he exclaimed, wide-eyed, as he stared at the buffet of pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, hash browns, and oatmeal.  
After his meal, he headed out the door, ready to start a new school year.

* * *

Abigail Lincoln was already up and ready for her day by the time her parents were up. She was quite the morning person, not to mention she was always prepared. She her father breakfast, and set it out at the table. As she was adding the final touch to her 'breakfast masterpiece,' her father's cat, Murphy, got under her feet and tripped her. Food splattered all over her clothes, the floor, and the cat. "Murphy!" she began to yell, before she gathered herself. She pulled open the drawer, grabbed a hand towel, and cleaned up the mess. "This is why Abby has been a dog person," she mumbled to Murphy, as he came over to her and gave her an apologetic meow. Abigail patted his head, and ran upstairs to change before school started. She grabbed a long-sleeved dark blue shirt, some jeans, and her childhood-favorite red cap. She grabbed her things, set them on the counter, and began to remake her father's breakfast.  
"Don't worry about it, Abigail," her father reassured her. "You better get off to school!"  
"Thanks Daddy! See you after school!" she called out as she walked put the door.

* * *

"Come on, Wallabee! School isn't going to come to you!"  
"Mom," the Australian boy shouted into his pillow, "I'm not going to any cruddy school!"  
" It's not going to be that bad! Everyone loves the new kid; you'll make friends in no time!"  
" Mom, every parent says that! And it never happens!"  
" Well not every parent has a handsome lad like yourself as a son! Now up you go!"  
Groaning, Wallabee Beatles rolled off his new bed and onto the floor. He pushed off the ground and scanned his room. '_This place is so ugly! Why can't I spend the day decorating my new room instead of going to cruddy school?_' He ignored his thoughts, and got ready for school. He knew trying to convince his mom not to make him go was useless.  
He walked downstairs and grabbed an orange from the fridge. Wally rarely had to spend time changing because he'd use the clothes he'd wear the next day as pajamas.  
" Hey, Sport," his dad greeted him, while reason the newspaper. "How are ya this morning?"  
" Fine, Pop," Wally replied, mumbling.  
"Wallabee! You better get off to school before you're late," his mom called out to him in her usual happy voice.  
Before he left, his little brother, Joey, walked downstairs. "Wally! Why are you leaving so soon?"  
Wally knelt down to his little brother and ruffled his hair. "Because, Joey. We are not in Australia anymore. Our classes start earlier, remember?"  
"Noooooooo," Joey called out, mimicking what Wally would have said if he heard that.  
"See ya, Joes," Wally said, as he grabbed his orange hooded jacket and walked out, smirking at his brother.  
"Bye Wallers!"

**(P.O.V : Kuki)**

I walked to the front of the school, and it looks so nice now! I am glad they painted white, instead of that ugly mustard-yellow. Improvements are really nice. Hey! Maybe this entire year will be an improvement for everyone! Maybe I can meet new friends! Yeah...That would be nice.

**(P.O.V : Nigel)**

I certainly hope this year is better. Last year sucked! All those jerks; I can't help that I'm bald. I hope that this year I can hang out with people who talk to me for who I am, and not just to make fun of me. Hey, I wonder where- _**beep beep beep**_

- Speaking of Hoagie,  
**[Gill: Uno! Where r u?]  
[Uno: By the tree in skool front. Meet me ther.]  
[Gill: Be ther soon  
[Uno: Kk]**

Is it sad that I only have one friend? I mean, I have known Hoagie all my life; of course, we would be friends. I am just glad he's my best friend, and not like those backstabbers I knew last year.

**(P.O.V : Hoagie)  
**  
**[Uno: Kk]**  
I'm so glad Nigel didn't have to move last year. I would be so lost without him! Imagine being the only kid here without a friend. That would suck big time. I hope I can find more friends though. Nothing against Nigel, but only having one friend? Isn't that kind of sad?  
I wonder if that girl Abigail Lincoln will become friends with us. She is like, the calmest and coolest girl I've met. Okay, so we haven't talked. In fact, I haven't said more that 2 sentences to her. I just say 'hi' to her every once in a while. I hope he doesn't find me annoying...  
Okay, Gilligan. You can do this! Just walk over to her and introduce yourself...

**(P.O.V : Abigail)**

Thank goodness they painted the school. It looked pretty ugly. I wonder if I am the only girl who has noticed…  
What is that kid doing? Hoagie, I think it is? I see he has finally got enough guts to talk to me. I saw him in the hall all the time last year, and he'd say 'hi'. I wonder if he was afraid to talk to me? I bet it's those rumors that I'm the meanest girl in school. That Valerie is a jer-  
"H...Hi, Abby," Wow, he said more than one word to me! He seems to be nervous, though.  
"Hi, Hoagie, is it?"  
"Yeah!" he answered, exclaiming. I think I made his day by remembering his name!  
"That's a pretty sweet name you got there!"  
" You...You really like it?"  
" Yeah. It's really unique; I like that."  
" Than...Thanks," he responded. Is he blushing? He must not get compliments regularly...  
"You seem nervous, Hoagie! Are you scared to talk to me?"  
"Oh...um...Well, the last thing I want to do is lie to you. But yeah, I am. I don't talk to girls often, and none of them are nice like you. Usually they'll ignore or insult me..."  
Poor thing. Why don't people like him? He's so sweet!  
"Why don't people like you? You're so sweet!" Did that just come out? I think I am blushing now.  
"I don't know...I guess cause I have a reputation of being a nerd. You know how people treat nerds," he paused, then spoke again, like his spirits were lifted all the sudden. "And do you really think I'm sweet?"  
"Of course I do. And I don't think you're a nerd either. You're just smarter than most of the jerks here. And-"  
I was cut off by this bald boy. I'm guessing he is Hoagie's friend.  
"Hoagie! We were supposed to meet by the tree! What kept you up?"  
Does he not notice me? I glanced at Hoagie, who was tossing his head slightly in my direction. I guess he's trying to signal to his friend that I'm here.  
"Dude, what are you doing?"  
"Nigel! I'm talking to someone!" hoagie shouted and threw his arms in my direction. I can't believe that kid didn't notice me!  
"Oh, oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," the kid finally noticed me. "I didn't expect Hoagie to be talking to someone like you."  
"Hey!" that was weird; me and Hoagie said it at the same time.  
"Hoagie is a nice kid! Why can't he talk to me?" I questioned that kid, A little angered.  
"I don't want my best friend talking to the jerk of the school, is all."  
Oh, so THAT'S why.  
"Stupid Valerie! If I were the meanest girl in school, I'd rip her head off!"  
"Yeah, Abby is really nice! Give her a chance, Nigel."  
The boy glanced at me over his shades. That was really nice of Hoagie to defend me...  
"Thanks, Hoa-"  
_**ring ring ring**_  
"There's the bell! We better get to class!"  
I walked off to my first class, smiling.

**(P.O.V : Wally)  
**  
_**ring ring ring**_  
Great. Cruddy bell. Now I'll be late. Now that I'm in America, I promised myself I'd try to not be late n stuff. My mom is making me get good grades, or she will take away all my exercise stuff! I can do this, right? It's a simple task. Just get to class, do my work. Who says I can't get someone to help me? My first class is... Mr. Bennings. I hope he's not a jerk.  
But wait... Where is the cruddy class?  
_**ring ring ring  
**_CRUD! Can this day get any worse?

* * *

_**Yay for Chapter 1!**_  
_**I hope you guys enjoy this story. It's pretty much a random story. Not as random as Obsessed, though.**_  
_**Opinions, please? **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2  
(P.O.V : None)**

Wally rushed throughout the school, trying to find his classes. _'I'm already late enough. Why bother? No. I promised my mum I'd be better!_' he kept reminding himself this, and dashed down the hallway.

"I can't believe Valerie did that to me! Now I'm late, and I'll get a detention!"  
Kuki walked down the hallway, trying to wipe out the milk from out her shirt and get the grits out of her hair. She stopped by the trashcan and threw the paper towels and clumps of grits away. She then heard a noise; it sounded like mice, but she didn't see any.  
Just then, she turned when an alarmed voice called out to her.  
"Look out!"  
" Huh?" she said faintly

_**WHAM**_

"Holy crud, I'm so sorry!"  
"Yeah, tell that to my fore..." she looked up to speak properly to the boy, "head..." she had never seen this boy before. He must have been new!  
"You okay?" he said, as he offered his hand to help her up. Kuki kindly accepted the offer, smiling.  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"I'm Wally. I'm kind of new here, and, well...Do you know where Mr. Bennings' class is?"  
Kuki was already embarrassed enough. She didn't want to be talking with him; she was really shy when talking to people, especially boys. However, she also didn't want to be rude.  
"I...I have him too."  
"That's cool! Mind if I, you know, walk with you?"  
She gulped. Wasn't this embarrassment enough?  
"Sure," she said, as she started to walk.  
'_Gee, this is getting awkward,_' Wally though.  
"So you uh... Got a name? Or do they just call you 'breakfast?'" he chuckled, but soon realized she didn't think it was too funny.  
"I'm sorry, mate. Today's been a long, boring morning."  
"It's okay," Kuki lied, forcing out a half-smile.  
"You're lying," Wally said, feeling strangely hurt. Wally may not be the smartest, but he hated being lied too.  
Kuki cringed. She didn't know he would take it personally.  
"Sorry. Today's been a long morning too, I guess," she was about to close her response, when she remembered his question. "I'm Kuki, by the way."  
"Kuki?" Wally questioned. He said it a few times in his head. "I like that name," he said sweetly.  
"Really?" Kuki paused and giggled nervously. "Thanks..."  
By this time, they reached their class. Kuki expected a mean teacher to yell at her, but he noticed the small scrape on her arm. It was fresh.  
"Miss Sanban, Mr. Beatles. You're late," Mr. Bennings spoke. Kuki looked up at him and he signaled them to sit down. 'Thank _goodness I didn't get detention! Hopefully today will get better,_' she thought to herself.  
The rest of the class period, she tried to ignore Wally. She was still nervous when talking to boys.  
It didn't help her when he kept leaning in to ask her a question.  
"Hey, Kuki! I doubt we have all classes together, but you think you could help me get to my other classes?"  
Most girls considered themselves lucky to talk to Wally. All during class, girls would flirt or gawk at Wally, but he paid no interest.  
"Sure," Kuki replied. Sure, she was nervous, but that didn't give her the right to be rude.  
Kuki drew a small, but detailed map of the school; she made a key at the top of the paper. Green was first class. Red was second. Blue was third, and so forth. She made a trail using the colors the fastest way to get to his classes. She was proud of her color-coated masterpiece, and handed it to Wally.  
"Kuki, this is awesome! Thank you,"  
Kuki sighed in happiness. His thank-you was genuinely sweet. She remembered the last time she helped someone; they just mumbled a small 'thanks.'

The bell rang, and Kuki was relieved that she could be out of her class. Helping Wally was nice, but it made her blush, then feel awkward.  
Mr. Bennings pulled Kuki aside before she left.  
"Kuki, I do not want you and your boyfriend skipping class again, or I will have to write you up next time. And as for that cut; did he do that to you?"  
Kuki was shocked. Boyfriend? They weren't even friends!  
"N...No, sir! We...we aren't... I mean, he's not my..." she sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd be late to her second class if she kept stalling, even if it were accidental. "We aren't dating, and he didn't do that."  
Mr. Bennings raised an eyebrow.  
"Kuki, I am not here just to teach you. You can tell me anything. Come sit."  
"But I'll be late to-"  
"I'll be more than happy to write you a pass. Now tell me, how did you get that cut?"  
Kuki didn't want to rat Valerie out. If she found out, she would surely hurt Kuki worse than a silly cut.  
"I..I can't tell you," Kuki said, squeezing her eyes shut.  
"Kuki, dear. You can trust me. I know you don't want to hurt your boyfriend by telling me, but-"  
"He's not my boyfriend!" she shouted, then covered her mouth with her hands. This is why she did like hanging with boys; she hated assumptions.  
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell," she dropped her head sheepishly.  
"Kuki, I understand. But let me ask you this...Are you being bullied?"  
Kuki decided to tell him about Valerie. If it meant not getting bothered by her, it was worth it, right?  
Minutes passed, and Kuki stood up, thanking Mr. Bennings for his help.  
She recieved her pass and walked out. _'This is so great! Valerie won't be bullying anyone, she won't even know I told her!_' she walked into her next class with a big smile on her face.

* * *

**_Chapter 2 is SO much shorter than Chapter 1. Like, 1000 words shorter. Oh well. Next chapter is being written, so bear with me! I have a dog, school, and vacations coming up, but it won't take me months to finish. I promise._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3  
(P.O.V : None)**  
"Man, that second class was so boring!" Hoagie exclaimed, while Abigail and Nigel trailed behind him.  
"At least Abby had two fun guys to hang with during it," Abigail said with a smile.  
"You think I'm cool?" Nigel and Hoagie said in unison, shocked.  
"Of course I do! Much better than those other jerks in there. All they care about is football, whilst you guys actually care about education!"  
Hoagie gleamed at the compliment, and Nigel just stood there confused.  
"Whilst means whereas, Nigel," Hoagie sad flatly. Nigel smiled, out of embarrassment and for the compliment.  
They proceeded to their third class, talking about their first class' teacher.  
"Mrs. Podi is such an uptight teacher. She wouldn't even let us have a book out," Hoagie complained.  
"You think that's bad? Mr. Greeshir won't let us listen to our iPods!"  
"Um, Nigel...That's against school rules."  
"Yeah! Besides, that sounds like something Wally Beatles would say," Abby said jokingly.  
Hoagie and Nigel were confused. "Who?"  
" Oh, just this kid in my second class. He looks like a really tough kid. You can't miss him; tall, muscular, blonde... And not to mention his orange jacket."  
"Gee, 'orange jacket' would have been enough," Nigel said, glancing at Wally, who happened to be walking by.  
"Whatever. Get to class," Abby told him, as they passed by Hoagie and Nigel's next class.

-x-

'_That Wally kid looks tough. Mental note to self; don't mess with him_.'  
Nigel watched the kids coming through the door, when Kuki walked in. _'I wonder what would happen if she got mixed up with him..._'  
Nigel shakes his head, as if he was throwing the thought put of his head. "That'd be bad,"  
"...What'd be bad?" a voice from above Nigel asked.  
Looking up, it was Kuki asking that question. Nigel started to get nervous, since he was talking about her in the first place. "Nothing, nothing at all," Nigel said, then laughed nervously.  
'_Okay, I know I don't usually talk to guys, but I had a feeling he was talking about me_,' Kuki told herself.  
Nigel coughed, trying to get the lump from his throat, and then turned to Hoagie.  
"What was all that about?"  
"See that girl over there," Nigel started.  
"Yeah?" Hoagie said, leaning closer, becoming more curious by the second.  
Afraid she'd hear again, Nigel whispered it into Hoagie's ear.  
"Whoa, that's kooky!" Hoagie exclaimed.  
"Yes?" Kuki perked up from decorating her notebook. Everyone turned and stared at her for the 'random outburst,' and her cheeks flushed red. _'Today is so embarrassing! I hope lunch will be better._'  
The teacher took roll, and Nigel and Hoagie understood Kuki's 'outburst'.  
The bell rang and everyone fled from the class, except for Kuki, who was still packing her things by the time the bell rang. Nigel and Hoagie, even though yearning for lunch, waited up for her.  
As she walked out the door, Hoagie started for her. "Kuki, wait up!" _'Wally still remembers my name?_' Kuki wondered to herself' and she turned around. "Hey Wall- Wait, you're not Wally!"  
Nigel and Hoagie turned to each other and laughed. Hurt, Kuki walked off. "No, Kuki, wait!" Annoyed Kuki snapped at them. "If you guys are here just to make fun of me, then-"  
"We're here to apologize," informed Hoagie.  
"Really," Kuki questioned, feeling a little bit happier. "Then why did you want me earlier?"  
"To apologize," Nigel started. "You see, and the reason we were laughing a few seconds ago was because we were talking. Well, ugh! In class, we-"  
"What Nigel means to say is that earlier he was talking about Wally. Then he saw you and was wondering about if you met Wally. Then he told me, and I exclaimed how kooky that was, Which made you perk up in class earlier. "  
"...And when I said I knew Wally the irony made you laugh; I get it," Kuki said, giggling. "You guys are silly."  
"Thanks! Say, do you want to eat lunch with us?" Hoagie offered.  
This threw Kuki off-guard. She didn't expect them to ask her that. Even though she still was nervous about boys, she actually felt okay around Nigel and Hoagie. They were fun and nice, unlike most of the intimidating boys in the school. "Sure," she said, as a smile crept up her face.

They entered the chaos room that is the cafeteria. People skipped in line, pushed people around, and cussed them out just for being bumped into. Kuki hated this part, her being technically defenseless. Nevertheless, she put her backpack down by Nigel and Hoagie's things, and went in line. Nigel brought lunch, so Hoagie agreed to go in line with Kuki.  
"Nigel sure has a way with words," Kuki said sarcastically.  
"Him? Totally. Way to hear his poem? 'Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm good with words, it makes me happy.'"  
Kuki laughed, out of pity for Nigel and Hoagie's making fun of him.  
"Wow, you laugh at my jokes! I like you already!" Kuki just rolled her eyes at him. '_Boys will be boys,_' she thought to herself. They got their food and returned to their table, where Abby had joined them.  
"Abby!" Hodge chirped gleefully.  
"Hey, Hoagie! How are you," Abby started, before noticing Kuki. "And who is this?"  
"That's Kuki! We have third class with her. Kiki noticed Abby and froze. '_How can they be friends with her? Isn't she the meanest girl in school? Well, after Valerie_,' she wondered, getting worried.  
"Kuki, what's wrong?" Nigel asked, breaking her concentration.  
"What? Oh, nothing, Oh Poetic One." Kuki replied slyly.  
"Oh Poetic One, what is she...HOAGIE!"  
Kuki, Hoagie, and Abby laughed while Nigel was fuming.  
"Sorry, Uno. But she started it," Hoagie exclaimed, accusing Kuki.  
"Who, me?" Kuki asked, acting angelically. Everyone laughed, this time including Nigel, at Kuki. When Kuki then remembered one-hundred-percent that Abby was there, she stopped.  
"What's wrong, girl?" Abby wondered.  
"Nothing. Well, it's just that I heard you were one of the meanest girls in school, so-"  
"Oh girl, not you too," Abby exclaimed. "Don't believe Valerie's lies, please don't!"  
"Wait, Valerie made that up? I expected as much," Kuki said, as her last sentence was full of anger.  
Just then, Wally spotted Kuki, and ran over to her.  
"Hey, Breakfast!"  
Everyone turned to the Aussie, and had a frightened look on their face, all except for Kuki. Wally was about to sit, when he paused. _'A better student,_' he reminded himself. He cleared his throat and spoke. "May I sit here, please?"  
Kuki smiled and nodded, while the others were taken back by his politeness. Still, Wally was going to have his normal personality.  
"Well what the crud are you guys staring at?" Wally hissed.  
Everyone's eyes grew wide, and then stared at their food.  
"Yeah, cause every good student says that," Kuki said smugly. Everyone gasped, as if she just told him to go jump of a cliff. Wally glared at her, then glanced quickly at the others. Looking back at Kuki, he started to burst out in laughter.  
"You guys should have seen your faces," Wally exclaimed, while still having a fit of laughter. Kuki joined him in laughing, while everyone else laughed nervously and confused. After a few quiet moments, Hoagie broke the silence and spoke up.

"Breakfast?"  
Nigel and Abby looked at Hoagie, and then turned their attention to Wally. "It's a long story," Kuki said, trying to dodge an explanation as much as possible.

"We've got time," Nigel stated, peeking his eyes over his shades. Kuki sighed; she knew she couldn't get out of this. "Well, this morning," Kuki started, then stared off into space, still continuing her story.

_**Flashback**_

'_Today's going to be great,__' Kuki said happily in her head; the first day to a whole new school year. She hugged her mom goodbye, and stepped out of her car. As she walked towards the school benches, she noticed the sun was peaking out from behind the building. '__How beautiful,'__ she thought to herself. She sat down at on a bench and pulled out her sketchpad. Lines of all shapes and sizes filled the page until the form of a kitten came out. Her concentration was broken when a shadow blocked her original view. She looked up to see whom it was standing before her. '__Valerie…__' she said in her head, suddenly feeling angry._

_Valerie was one of the meanest girls in the school. She picked on kids for no reason, bullied people, and spread terrible rumors about people. Her popularity kept her from being stopped. "Hey, Koo-koo," Valerie said evilly, her face filled with an evil grin._

"_That's Kuki, Valerie."_

"_Yeah, whatever," Valerie responded, before she reached for Kuki's sketchpad. "What'cha got here?" _

"_Give it back, Valerie!"_

"_I don't think so," she said, while looking through the book. '__Wow, these are actually good! Too bad she won't see them again!" __Valerie said to herself, as she tossed the sketchpad across the courtyard._

"_You jerk!" Kuki screamed, furious. She stared at the sketchpad, and tears formed in her eyes. It was ruined. Kuki went to retrieve it, but Valerie just got in her way. "Where do you think you're going?" Valerie said, not allowing Kuki to pass._

"_Get out of my way," Kuki yelled, as she pushed Valerie and ran towards her sketchpad. Valerie stumbled backwards and into a muddy puddle. Seeing her shoes were dirty, she let out a terrible scream that stole everyone outside's attention. She turned to Kuki with fury burning inside her eyes. '__Cafeteria, now,__' Kuki thought, as she dashed away from the scene and into the cafeteria._

_Kuki finally caught her breath as she sat down at the table. She took out her sketchpad again and tried to get all the dirt and folds out as possible. She smiled at her 'job well done,' and started drawing again. Before she could realize somebody was behind her, a mess of milk and grits covered her entire body. "That's what you get when you try and mess with me, Kuki!" The entire cafeteria roared in laughter at Kuki. She tried and tried to keep the tears in, until Valerie said, "You and your freaking crappy sketches get out!"_

_Kuki took her things and ran out of the cafeteria, crying rivers of tears. She fled to the bathrooms and locked herself in one of the stalls until everyone left._

_**ring ring ring**_

"_Okay, once the bathroom is cleared, I leave and run to class,__" Kuki informed herself. When she heard nothing more, she left the bathroom and started for her classes. Kids running late pushed her out of their way, and snickered at her when they noticed she still had some grits in her hair and wet spots from the milk._

_"I can't believe Valerie did that to me! Now I'm late, and I'll get a detention!"  
Kuki walked down the hallway, trying to wipe out the milk from out her shirt and get the grits out of her hair. She heard a noise that sounded like mice, but saw none. "__Weird; I could've sworn-__" _

"_Look out," she heard a voice yell to her._

"_Huh?"_

_**WHAM**_

_Wally apologized to the girl, and offered to help her up. He introduced himself and asked for help getting to his class, handing Kuki his schedule. She merely told him to follow her, since their first class is the same._

_He talked to her, until he said something that made Kuki a little offended._

_"__So you uh... Got a name? Or do they just call you 'breakfast?'__"_

_**End Flashback**_

"…And well, that's what happened," Kuki said, finishing off her story.

"Man, that Valerie. Always tryin' to make everyone's lives miserable," Abby griped.

"If she weren't a girl, I'd pound her face in," Wally growled.

Nigel and Hoagie nodded, when Abby spoke up again. "Abby's not gonna' lie, though… Wally calling you breakfast; funny stuff!"

"Yeah, I guess," Kuki said, shrugging her shoulders. Wally noticed Kuki feeling saddened by the comment, so he changed the subject.

"So, er… What are your names?"

"I'm Hoagie, that's Abby!"

"Nigel,"

"That's cool! So I was wondering…," Wally started, not believing he was going to say this, "…Would you guys, you know, want to possibly…"

"Sure, we'd love to be your friends, dude!" Hoagie exclaimed.

Abby and Nigel agreed with him, and they all exchanged schedules- all except for Kuki. In fact, she was still thinking about if she wanted to be friends with them.

'_They seem nice, yes, and not to mention that they're funny. But I still get nervous around boys…'_ Kuki bit her lip and looked at the window in the other direction. She gazed upon two squirrels jumping from tree to tree, and smiled a little bit. She was focused until someone brought her back to reality.

"Kuki, time to go to class!"

Kuki shook her head, trying to focus. "What?"

"Ugh, come on," Wally said, as he grabbed Kuki's wrist and pulled her towards the cafeteria exit. Kuki realized he was holding her wrist and blushed. When Wally finally realized it, he let go and blushed. He coughed to clear his throat and asked, "Hey, Kuki?"

Kuki looked up and responded. "Yeah?"

"You never answered my questioned earlier…_Do _you want to be friends with me?" Kuki stared off into the kids walking to her classes and thought to herself. '_I don't even know… Do I? I mean, he is really tough; what if I get him angry? Then again, he implied it himself, he doesn't hit girls…_'

"I'd quite like that," she said, finally deciding. Wally grinned as they entered their fourth class. '_Only three more classes to go,_' Wally thought to himself. The two chose seats next to each other, and talked until the bell rang.

'_This is going to be the start of a good friendship,_' Wally thought, as he directed his attention from Kuki to Mr. Silvers.

* * *

**_Such a weird / rambly story CX_**  
**_I love it though!_**  
**_I'll try to update as soon as possible! _**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4  
(P.O.V : None)**

"Good morning, students! Just a reminder that the school's Winter Dance will have tickets on sale at lunch today! Tickets will not be sold at the door, so buy them now," a voice boomed from the speakers. Just then, murmurs about the upcoming dance filled the room, on that early Friday morning.

"I am SO going to that dance," one voice shouted.

"My outfit is going to be the best," another one said.

The shouts continued, as Wally leaned over to Kuki. "You going to that dance, Kuki?"

Kuki looked up from her drawing and tapped her pencil on her lip. "I don't think so," she finally decided. "I don't really like dances. I went to a school dance in seventh grade, and I didn't really like it. All I did was stand in the corner," she said, remembering the boring memory.

"Oh," Wally started. "Well, were any of your friends there?" Kuki just looked at him with a half frown. "I wasn't very social then…," she spoke, and trailed off.

"Well, what if we get the guys to go with us? It'll be loads of fun!"

"I don't know…,"

"Come on, Kuki! Please," Wally begged, stretching the last word while attempting a puppy-dog face.

"I'll think about it," Kuki said, redirecting her concentration towards her drawing.

Later that day, everyone met up at lunch. As usual, Nigel had his lunch packed, so he was already eating by the time Wally and Abby had met Hoagie and Kuki in the lunch line. The four friends finally got through the line and bought their lunch; chicken fingers with a juice pouch and milk, when another voice boomed from the speakers. "The Winter Dance tickets are on sale now! Get them for only ten dollars!"

They all sat down and joined Nigel eating. Wally spoke up to ask them about the dance. "So, you guys going?"

"Of course," Hoagie started, explaining his reason. "I love school dances! They're filled with the world's four best things in life; music, friends, dancing, and food!" Kuki giggled at his statement, while the others took their turns answering.

"I'll go, but only because Hoagie is going!" Nigel said.

"Abby'll go. I've got nothing to do, anyways." Then, they all turned to Kuki, awaiting her answer. "I…Um…Okay." The four cheered high-fiving Kuki for going to her first dance in 4 years.

After they seized their cheers, they all ate their food silently. Nigel then had a brilliant idea.

"You guys want to have a party at my house tonight?" Kuki was the first to respond. "What kind of party," she asked excitedly but curiously.

"You know, like a slumber party! We have this giant tree house growing from out house that we could use!"

"Sounds awesome," exclaimed Hoagie.

"Fine by me," Wally added.

"As long as you guys ain't thinkin' of doing anything funny, I'm in," Abby confirmed, adjusting her red hat.

"Why is it that I'm always the last to respond," Kuki said, giggling. "Sure, I'll join you guys."

"Then it's settled!" Nigel chirped. "Everyone meet up at my house tonight. Bring anything you'd like!" The four nodded heads and smiled, as the bell rang to release students from the lunchroom.

Kuki and Wally arrived in Mr. Silvers' room early as usual. Wally leaned over to Kuki.

"Kuki…?"

"What's wrong, Wally?" she asked a little worried.

"You have your driver's license, right?"

"Yeah," Kuki said, laughter consuming her voice. "Why?"

"Well, um... I was wondering… If you could help me get mine," Wally spoke slowly with a hint of questioning in his tone. His driving skills were great, but when it came to the written test, that's where he flunked.

"Sure! When?"

"Well, I was sort of hoping today…Just with the studying and memorizing. It's all so confusing!"

"Don't worry, Wally! If you study the right way, you could get it before we go to Nigel's tonight," Kuki said, but then paused. "It won't do you any good without a car though,"

"Already taken care of," Wally said, dangling a pair of keys before her eyes.

"You have a car already?" Kuki asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. My parents said I would have to get my own, so I saved up and bought this one from my uncle. I'm just not allowed to drive it until I get my license."

"Wow, that's awesome! You could be driving by tonight, Wally!" Kuki exclaimed happily. The thought of Wally driving without a parent made him smile. He would finally be able to be free! He squirmed in his seat wanting the day to end as soon as possible.

The bell rang, and Kuki immediately took Wally to her bus. They walked home from the bus stop and entered Kuki's small yet elegant house. "Nice place ya got here," Wally said, looking around, as they walked into the living room.

"Thanks! I forgot you've never been here before,' Kuki replied, giggling. She browsed the bookshelf for her old driver's license test booklet, but failed to find it.

"Wally, would you mind sitting here while I check upstairs for the book?" Kuki asked.

"Sure," Wally replied, smiling, as Kuki ran up the stairs swiftly. Just then, Wally saw a purple figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and there was Mushi, examining him.

"Err… Hello there," Wally called out.

"So, you must be that hot guy Kuki keeps yammering on about?" Mushi replied, sounding a bit devious. '_Does Kuki actually think I'm hot?_' Wally thought to himself, as he responded casually. "Sure…You must be," he started, as he continued in a quieter voice, "Who did Kuki say she was-"

"-Mushi; and don't you forget it," she replied.

"I'll try not to," Wally said, turning back around and rolling his eyes. By this time, Kuki had returned with the book and laid it on the table.

"I'm back!" Kuki exclaimed with a wide grin on her face.

"Obviously," Wally replied, returning the grin.

"Don't make out _too_ much while I'm gone," Mushi yelled wickedly, as se left the room to enter another. Kuki just rolled her eyes.

"Don't mind her. She's just jealous her crush won't like her."

"Kids," Wally said, chuckling.

"Okay, the key to memorizing things come in three easy steps," Kuki began, as she helped her friend study.

Two hours had passed since they first began studying, and they were just now wrapping it up.

"So, Wally, you think you're ready?" Wally hesitated for a minute, but then nodded. "I'm ready."

They both waiting for Kuki's parents to return home from work, which was roughly ten minutes later.

"Hi Mom," Kuki greeted her mother happily.

"Hello, Kuki!"

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend Wally. I invited him over to help him study to get his driver's license!"

"Hello, Mrs. Sanban. Nice to meet you," Wally said, as her stood up and shook her hand. Mr. Sanban just glared at Wally, being protective over his eldest daughter.

"I am going to drive him over to take his test, okay Mom?" Kuki said, asking permission. Her mom tossed her the keys, and Kuki grinned at Wally.

As they were almost out of the door, Kuki remembered something.

"Oh! Mother, may I sleep over at a friend's house tonight?"

Kuki and her mother discussed everything, and Kuki ran out the door ready to go. "I'm good to go!" Kuki said as she pulled out of the driveway.

As they arrived at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles,) Kuki noticed Wally was a little nervous. "You're going to do great, Wally! Don't worry!" Wally smiled at her as they both got out and entered the building. "I'll be waiting here as you take your test," Kuki informed him, as she pulled out the sketchpad she brought along with her.

About an hour later, Wally trudged out of the back room with a depressing look on his face. Kuki looked up at him with despair in her eyes. Even though she knew he had failed, she still asked him how everything went.

"How did everything go?"

Wally shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down to the ground. "I didn't get to brush my hair first," Wally exclaimed, as he flashed a smile and his new driver's license out.

"Wally, I'm so proud of you!" Kuki yelled, as she threw her arms around him. They ran out to Mrs. Sanban's car as fast as they could and Kuki drove Wally to his house to show his parents. Kuki's eyes gleamed at the sight of the entire household smiling and hugging Wally.

"Well, ol'son! You know what happens now," Wally's dad exclaimed.

"I get to drive my car?" Wally asked excitedly.

"Go on ahead!" his dad said, as Kuki and Wally ran out the door. They had a party to get to.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5  
(P.O.V : None)**

They arrived at Nigel's house and were mesmerized at the sixty-foot tree house.

"That's…," Wally started.

"Wow…," Kuki murmured, completing Wally's statement. They got out of Wally's car, grabbed their things, and rang the doorbell.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Kuki said, giggling.

"I know!" Wally said as Nigel opened the door to greet Kuki with a hug and Wally with a high-five.

"Great to see you guys! Come on in," Nigel said, as they entered his home. By the time Kuki and Wally arrived, Hoagie and Abby were there, watching television on the couch.

"Hey guys," Abby called out, breaking the connection between her and the cartoon.

"Hey Abby," Kuki said as she dropped her bag and ran over to hug her. They both started talking when Wally went over to greet Hoagie.

"Whoa, nice wheels," Hoagie said, taking notice of Wally's car.

"Thanks," Wally started. "But I couldn't have been driving that thing around if it weren't for Kuki!"

"Oh, Wally," Kuki just said, giggling and rolling her eyes.

"You guys ready to go see what's up in that tree house?" Nigel said, with eight eyes glued on him from the moment he spoke up.

"You bet!" Hoagie yelled.

"Abby could use some adventure; even if it's walking through an abandoned tree house!"

"Yeah, let's go," Wally said, as they all got their bags and started up for the tree house. When they entered the tree house, hundreds of hamsters scampered into one big hole in the wall. Everyone got out their phones to use as flashlights and started walking around. Suddenly, the tree house started to light up.

"Weird," Hoagie mumbled, as they all walked as one until they came across one big room.

"This looks like the perfect place to stay in," Nigel said, after looking around the big room. They all agreed and sat their bags on the ground.

"We can set up sleeping bags later. For now, I say we explore this place some more!" Hoagie said, excitedly.

"Yeah," Kuki yelled happily.

"Then let's do it," Nigel said, as Nigel walked forward, Hoagie and Abby walked to the right, and Wally and Kuki took towards the left. After walking thirty feet, Kuki suddenly halted.

"Ouch," Wally said, after bumping into Kuki. "Why'd you stop?"

"There's two paths," Kuki spoke, the words pouring fluently from her mouth.

"So?" Wally questioned, lifting an eyebrow. After a few moments of silence, Kuki finally spoke up.

"It's dark."

Wally smiled and rolled his eyes. '_Girls,_' he thought to himself, chuckling. "You want me to come with you?"

"Really, you'd do that, for me?" Kuki asked happily.  
" Of course; what are friends for?"

They chose to go right and walked down a hallway. Soon after, they came across a door with the number '4' printed on it in red. Kuki and Wally shot each other a glance, then reached for the door. Kuki, noticing this, stopped herself from reaching any further to avoid an awkward situation. Just the thought of it made her blush.

"You okay, Kuki?" Wally asked.

"Who, me? Sure! I mean…Why, why wouldn't I be?" Kuki said, finding it hard to choose the right words to say.

"No reason," Wally said, ignoring the past moment. He opened the door and gasped.

"This is SO cool!" Kuki stepped in and saw the room. The floor was a giant medium blue wrestling ring, filled with punching dummies, weight lifting and wrestling equipment, a radio, and the tree branch that had grown inside had a small tire swing, where a lone pillow laid. Kuki could tell that Wally wanted to stay in here for a little bit, so she decided to let him.

"If you want, I'll go on and explore. Have fun," she said, as she skipped out. She walked slowly down the hallway for a minute when she came across another room. It had no door, but a giant purple curtain with the number '3' painted on again, in red. She pushed the curtain aside and walked into the room.

Then screamed.

Wally was punching the old, dusty dummy whenever he heard the gut-wrenching scream. '_Kuki,_' he yelled in his head, as he ran out of the room and dashed into the hallway. "Kuki?" he called out to her, trying to find her desperately.

"Wally?"

When hearing this, Wally followed the voice and almost ripped the curtain when pushing it aside. When he finally got into focus of the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wally! Look how _cute_ this room is!" Kuki squealed, hopping up and down, using Wally's arm to hold onto like a bar.

"Kuki," Wally mumbled, annoyed.

"Wally, what's wrong?" Kuki asked.

"Well, I heard you scream, and I came rushing over… Kuki, I thought you were really hurt!"

"Gee Wally. I didn't know-"

"-Don't ever scare me like that again!" Wally yelled, grabbing onto her arms.

Kuki stared in eyes, seeing something she would never think to see; fear. She was taken back by it and the guilt overwhelmed her. Pushing away from Wally, she dashed for the giant plush toy-like bed and buried her face in it. Wally slapped his forehead and sat next to on the bed.

"Kuki, I'm sorry," he said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I was just worried, and-"

"Thank you," Kuki said, sniffling and looking up at him.

"Thank me, what?" Wally said, confused.

"Nobody has ever cared that much about me. Especially, well," she started, but felt too ashamed to go on.

"I'll always be here for you, Kuki," Wally reassured her, as he stood up. "Now come on, let's find the others." He extended his hand out to her just as he did when they first met. She gladly accepted it and brushed the dust off her from the unused bed. They exited the door, walking slowly.

"And the room I saw was like it was designed by _me_!" Hoagie yelled, as he was telling Nigel and Abby about the room he was in, which was decorated with a mass of airplanes and invention schematics.

"Man, that's awesome!" Abby said happily.

"Did you find any cool rooms, Abby?"

"Well, I entered this room with a big five painted on. It was really cool! The lights could be dimmed, and there were many jazz music selections in it. I enjoyed it!"

Abby, Hoagie, and Nigel kept talking about all the cool places they found in the tree house.

"…And then when I was fifteen, I pulled the fire alarm! I got _so_ busted by the school principal!"

"Wow, Wally. You're quite the daredevil there!" Kuki and Wally laughed as they entered the room with the other three. Hoagie leaned over to Abby and mumbled to her. "Looks like _they_ are getting close, huh?" He laughed to himself until Abby smacked them with her hat. "Ouch! I was kidding!"

"So, you guys finally decided to show up?" Nigel said playfully.

"Heh heh, yeah…" Wally said, tossing one hand behind his head and eyed the floor.

"How come _he_ didn't get hit?" Hoagie complained to Abby.

"Aren't we going to play any games," Kuki pondered.

"Great idea, Kuki! I'll go down and get food and drinks, while you guys set up your sleeping bags," Nigel suggested.

"You know," Wally started, "We _could_ just sleep in those rooms we found. They have beds, and everything!"

"Ooh, good idea!" Kuki said, jumping from her tiptoes to attempt to pat his head as if he were a dog.

"Sure, but we're still partying in here," Abby said. Nigel returned with the drinks and food, and they all sat in a circle.

"So, what should we play?" Hoagie finally asked.

"Ooh, ooh! I know! Pick me!" Kuki said, flailing her arms around.

"Yes, Kuki," Abby said, eyeballing her.

".Dare…"

* * *

**_Personally, I really love this chapter! It's so cute :D_**

**_Sorry there wasn't that 'big dramatic thing' I promised was going to be in this chapter. I decided it would be too long if I added it! BUT DON'T FRET! It'll be in Chapter SIX, which I'm writing right after I'm done with this!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6  
(P.O.V : None)**

"Truth or dare? You're on, Sanban," Wally shouted.

"I agree, baby! Bring it on!" Abby said

"And, since it was your idea, you spin first," Nigel told her, as he slapped an empty soda bottle on the ground. Kuki took the bottle and spun it. Everyone followed the clockwise movement of the bottle, until it ceased on Hoagie. "Okay, Hoagie, truth, or dare?"

"Dare, of course," he responded determined.

"Hmm… I dare you to switch hats with Abby for the entire night," Kuki said, giggling, as if her dare was the hardest one in the world. Abby and Hoagie just exchanged a glance as they took of their hats and placed it on each other's heads.

"I'll miss you, my beautiful, beautiful hat," Hoagie said pretending to cry.

"Just spin the bottle already, silly!" Kuki said, wanting to get on with the game. Hoagie spun it and it landed on Nigel.

"Nigel, truth, or dare?"

"Truth," Nigel said, being a little bit afraid of the devious Hoagie's dares.

"What was your first thought of Wally when you saw him?"

'_Well, that's an odd question,_' Wally thought to himself as Nigel was gathering his own thoughts.

"Honestly, I thought Wally would want to kill everyone in his path; and look at us now!" Kuki, Abby, and Hoagie laughed at his response as Nigel spun the bottle. As the night went on, the gang had to do many obnoxious dares such as reenacting scenes from Romeo and Juliet, drinking a whole 2-liter soda bottle, screaming random things in the middle of the street, and even Hoagie was dared to walk outside in his underwear! They played for practically the entire night, taking bathroom and snack breaks.

"Okay Wally, truth, or dare?" Hoagie questioned the Aussie.

"Dare, of course!" Wally said while brushing dirt off his face from a previous dare. Hoagie thought long and hard to try to find a dare not even Wally would do. '_Is it even __**possible**__?_' Hoagie questioned to himself, while scanning the room for inspiration. Then, a light went on in his head, as he adjusted Abby's hat and smiled errantly.

"I dare you to kiss Kuki!"

_**Pfffffft**_

Wally spat out the soda and his eyes were as big as cantaloupes. He had hundreds of things running through his mind. Would Kuki want him to kiss her? What would she think of him them? Would he risk a great friendship over a silly game? Emotions built up inside him until he couldn't bear them any longer. Red as a beet, from the blush and the anger towards Hoagie, he exploded.

"**NO WAY**!"

"Gee-geeze dude! Ca-calm down," Hoagie said, half-trembling.

"Calm down? _Calm down_? How on bloody _Earth_ could you tell me to calm down?" Hoagie opened his mouth to speak, but Wally interrupted him once more.

"You think this is some kind of _joke_? Well I ain't doing it! I don't love her, and nothing on Earth will make me do it, you hear me, **nothing**!" Wally, by this time, had Hoagie lifted into the air by his shirt. He was about to hit him, until the sound of a loud but fading thumping filled his ears. He dropped Hoagie and turned around. Kuki was gone. Wally, ignoring the awkward stared from his other three friends, bolted out of the room. Almost immediately, he found Kuki lying on the same bed as before. Instead of small tears, though, she was bawling her eyes out. Wally stepped in quietly and went to reach out to Kuki, but she slapped his hand away from him. "You said you'd always be there for me!" Kuki yelled furiously between sobs.

Wally, now starting to tear up himself, spoke with uncertainty. "Kuki, I…"

"Just shut up! Shut up and go away!"

Wally turned and walked out. His heart throbbed as he heard Kuki's emotionally marred sobs filled his ears. He walked back into the room where everyone stared at him, pushed them out of his mind, and headed for his keys. Everyone was afraid to speak, in fear of being hit; but Abby couldn't take it anymore.

"Boy, where are you _going?" _Hoagie and Nigel gasped that Abby had enough guts to say that. Wally turned to her and glared.

"Out," was the only word he spoke, as he left the tree house.

In the room, Kuki perked up as she heard Wally's car turn on, but she couldn't care less. She continued to sob and hug the Rainbow Monkey that she noticed on the bed. It was orange, like Wally's jacket, with seven green patches scattered about. On the tag attached to the bow around it's neck, it read:

_**Kuki, I'm sorry I ripped your cruddy Rainbow Monkey. Sometimes I don't know when to stop.**_

_**-Numbuh 4**_

Kuki was confused at the note. '_Why does this have my name in it? Who is Numbuh 4?_' she thought to herself. The note made her think of Wally, how it said that 'I don't know when to stop.' She pushed the Rainbow Monkey away and wiped her eyes. She was feeling dizzy from the lack of food and water, and walked into the main room where she found everyone playing cards. Hoagie looked up at Kuki and smiled a half-smile. She returned a smile, with the tears still in her eyes. Nigel dropped the cards in his hands, walked over to Kuki, and hugged her. Kuki, surprised of the hug, started blushing in a light pink tone. She ignored it and hugged Nigel back. After they parted, Nigel nodded and went back and sat down. Kuki walked towards the table and helped herself to some pizza they had ordered earlier. Hoagie leaned towards Nigel and whispered.

"Why'd you hug her? Do you like her or something?"

Nigel just rolled his eyes and picked up his cards and they continued her game…

"Stupid cruddy Hoagie! It's all _his _fault we're in this mess!" Wally yelled to himself. Wally stopped himself in his thoughts. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm the one who screwed everything up! I… I need a soda," he said as he looked for the nearest gas station and pulled into it. He parked his car and got out. Suddenly, he heard an unfamiliar voice call out to him.

"Hey, blondie," Wally turned around to the man and narrowed his eyes.

"What'd you call me?"

"You heard me. Now why don't you do me a favor and give me your money?"

"What makes _you_ think I'd do that?" Wally hissed at the man. His eyes widened when he saw the man pull a shiny object from his pocket.

"I think this might convince you," he said slyly as he pointed the gun towards him. Wally had to think fast. Uh oh.

"My... My wallet is…is in my car!" Wally said, hoping he would believe him.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're gonna give me your wallet and the keys to your car. If you try to call the cops, I'll blow your brains out of your head right here."

Wally knew he had to. He was an awesome fighter, but he can't compete with a gun. He walked over to his car slowly to get his 'wallet.' While he reached into the car, he dialed the number of the first person he could think of- Kuki.

"Come on, Kuki! Pick up!" His heart and spirits dropped whenever nobody answered after the third time calling…

"Who was calling you, Kuki?" Nigel asked her.

"Oh, it's just Wally," she said grumpily.

"He called three times? What if he's in trouble?" Hoagie asked worriedly.

"Whatever trouble he got himself into, he can get himself _out_." Kuki said, walking out of the room.

"I'm going for a walk, guys," Kuki called out as she left the tree house.

She walked outside into the cold breeze. She didn't know where to go, or why. She just walked.

"So, you going to give me your car, or will I have to kill you first?"

Wally thought it was worth a shot and tried to run for it.

_**BAM!**_

"Ahh," Wally cried out in pain, as the bullet went though his shoulder. Wally held it before the man pinned him up against the wall. Wally winced in pain, but managed to kick the man in the stomach, causing him to drop his gun. The man ran towards Wally and started punching him across the face brutally. Wally tried to fight back but the pain in his shoulder was too much for him at the time. The man reached and picked up the gun and pointed it right on Wally's forehead.

"Now you've done it, punk."

Wally closed his eyes and clenched his fists, waiting for his life to end. He opened one eye when he heard violent screams; Kuki had kicked the gun out of the man's hand and started pounding her fists into his head. '_Kuki, no!' _he screamed in his head as he stumbled towards her as fast as he could. The man kicked her in the face when he had the chance and she flew back, infuriating Wally. Despite all the pain, he ignored it and threw himself onto the man, hitting him with all he had. He didn't care about anything else except saving Kuki's life.

Kuki watched for a split second horrified, then picked up Wally's phone and called 911. The police sped over as fast as they could while Kuki grabbed the gun and fired all the bullets into a bush. Kuki turned around when a giant fist struck her across her face, knocking her head into the wall. The last thing she saw was the man walking towards Wally with a knife, as she screamed at the top of her lungs for him, and then went blank.

Kuki awoke and saw white. The brightness blinded her, until she became focused. There she laid in a bed, hearing beeps and buzzes. She was scared and thought she had died, until she realized she was in a hospital. She tried to stand up but her entire body was throbbing all over. She couldn't remember anything. The doctor came in and greeted her.

"Hello, Miss Sanban! You have a visitor." Kuki perked up as Nigel, Hoagie, and Abby entered the room. Then it all came back to her. The party. The game. The fight. Her head spun as she began to tear up.

"Where's… Where's Wally?"

Hoagie glanced at Abby with a worried look on his face, and both turned to Nigel. Nigel shot them a 'no way' look and walked over to Kuki.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know… Where's Wally?" she asked a second time.

Nobody answered, until she started pleading. "Please! Tell me where Wally is! I need to know!"

Abby had no choice and walked over to her. She sat on the bed and sighed.

"Kuki, Wally is…-"

"Excuse me, Miss Sanban? The doctor is moving you to room 403. Will you come with me, please?" Kuki, blinded by tears, took the doctor's hand as she led her to the new room, as she climbed into bed shaking. The doctor walked outside the room and asked the others to wait outside before seeing Kuki again.

Kuki wiped her eyes and blinked. She saw an empty bed close to hers, so close that she could reach out and touch it. She turned her body the other direction and closed her eyes. She heard the sound of a door opening, but she ignored it. She didn't want to see anyone right now.

"Kuki?"

At the sound of her name, her eyes shot open. She turned around weakly. "Wa…WALLY!" She yelled faintly. He looked terrible; covered in bandages, blood and dirt, he lay in the bed next to her. She reached out her hand and he patted it.

"It's going to be alright, Kuki…"

"I know, Wally. Because you'll always be here with me," Kuki said, the medicine making her tired.

"And you need to believe that, always."

"I do, Wally."

A few silent moments fell across them, when Kuki broke it.

"Wally… You don't still not love me, do you?" Wally's head ached, the guilt rising from what he said hours ago.

"I've never not loved you, Kuki."

"But you said-"

"Forget what I said, Kuki. I was stupid and wrong. I just didn't know when to stop…"

Kuki's heart jumped, remembering the Rainbow Monkey. She reached her arm out across the bed and then fell asleep, her fingers entwined with Wallys.

* * *

_**Okay. DEPRESSING, RIGHT?I hate/love this chapter. but it didn't come out as good as it did in my head. D:OH WELL! IT WAS STILL A GOOD CHAPTER THOUGH.  
I honestly don't know when chapter 7 will come out. I have some idea but I need to get a better plot thing in there. SORRY YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT! :( **_


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7  
(P.O.V : None)**

"Morning, Sunshine," Kuki heard as she opened her eyes to see a blonde blob in her face. She rubbed her eyes and laughed, pushing Wally's head away.

"The doctor said we could go home today! And I'm glad; these hospital beds are killing my back," Wally said, as he pushed on his back to straighten it.

"Come on, you big baby. It wasn't that bad," Kuki murmured jokingly. "Besides, it was only one night!"

"Yeah, one night too long," Wally replied. "Now let's get out of here! I wanna hang out with the guys still!"

After wandering around the hospital for five minutes, they finally found the main room and checked out. Not knowing really where to go, they both walked around town, searching for something to do. They came across a movie theatre, and without speaking a word, headed for it. As they got closer, Kuki eyed a pay phone and ran to it.

"We can call the guys and see if they want to see a movie also!"

Wally nodded and Kuki dialed.

"Hello," a voice questioned on the other line.

"Hoagie!" Kuki exclaimed, as she watched Wally sit on the curb and break apart blades of grass. Hoagie asked about everything that happened that Friday night. Kuki froze and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to think about what went on that night again. "I'll tell you later," she murmured into the phone. It was at least thirty seconds of silence before Hoagie spoke up again. "So what did you need?"

Forgetting about why she called in the first place, she perked up and answered happily. "We're at the movie theatre. Come join us!" Hoagie gladly accepted and hung up. Kuki looked back over at Wally and sighed happily. '_How did I ever manage to get such a great friend like him,_' she asked herself, as she walked towards him. Taking a seat, she decided to speak. "They'll be here soon," she said excitedly. Examining his mood, she knew something was wrong. "Is anything wrong?" she asked sweetly. Wally sighed and stared at his feet.

"It's complicated," he mumbled. Kuki agreed with herself to let him be for now; they would talk later. She stood up and offered to help him up. "Cheer up, Mr. Complicated. The guys are going to be here soon and you're bumming my joy."

Wally turned his head to her with a smirk, and grabbed her arm, pulling her down playfully. Kuki screamed in pain as she hit the ground with her bruised arms. Wally had totally forgotten how fragile she was, jumping from his seat on the curb into the patch of glass she laid in, holding her arm. "Kuki! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen and-"

"Just shut up," she said, ruffling his hair. "I know you didn't mean to!"

Wally giggled nervously as he looked over and spotted Hoagie, driving Wally's car. He perked up in excitement. He got up off the ground, gesturing Kuki to follow him. Kuki smiled and attempted to get up, but her arm still hurting, she failed to do so. Wally ran over and helped her up, feeling a guilt-driven hole in his heart. "Kuki, I totally hurt you. I'm really sorry,"

"Wally, for the last time, it's fine! If you've forgotten, we did _just_ get out of the hospital."

"I guess," Wally said, staring at the ground as they walked. Kuki frowned.

Meanwhile, Hoagie, Abby, and Nigel were walking towards the theatre. Hoagie spotted Wally and Kuki and nudged Nigel. "Looks like they're getting comfortable," Hoagie teased, as he pointed towards Wally's arm around the hurt Kuki's shoulder. Nigel just glared at Hoagie and rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young man!" Hoagie joked with Nigel. Abby brought her palm to her face and shook her head. They finally met up with Wally and Kuki and went in to see a movie.

After the movie, Wally dropped off everyone at Nigel's house, wanting to hang out some more. Before entering his house, Kuki spoke up.

"Hey Wally," she asked.

"Hmm?" he questioned.

"You think we can go to my house? My parents will freak if I at least don't tell them I'll be staying."

"Of course, Kuki," Wally said as they walked back to the car. They got to Kuki's house and Wally walked her to the door. She entered, Wally following, and signaled him to take a seat on the couch.

"Mother?" She called out, questioningly.

"Kuki, dearie!" her mother called out from her at-home work desk, running from behind it and hugging her tightly. Kuki winced in pain but tried to keep everything that had happened a secret.

"Where's Dad?"

"He left to go to the hospital fifteen minutes ago. They called; what happened to you, sweetie!" she asked anxiously.

"I, um…," she started, until she heard the front door slam shut. Her father stormed in, ignoring the boy on the couch, twiddling his thumbs.

"Hello, Daddy," Kuki said nervously.

"_Him," _Mr. Sanban said, practically hissing.

"Excuse me, Daddy?"

"That boy got you in this mess! He hurt you!"

"No he didn't, Dad!" Kuki said, getting angry.

"If it wasn't for him, that, that _boy_, none of this would have ever happened!" he yelled, pointing to the cuts and bruises on her body. Kuki clenched her fists for her father blaming Wally for what had happened.

"Dad, it wasn't his fault!"

"I forbid you to see this boy ever again!" Mr. Sanban yelled.

"Daddy, no!" Kuki yelled, attracting Wally's attention. He turned around and tried to see what was going on in there.

"You don't even _know_ him, dad!"

"I do not care! If I ever catch you with him again, consider yourself grounded; for _life_!"

"Please, no Daddy! He's one of the only friends I have!"

"I do not care! Go to your room this instant, while I see him out!" her father yelled. Kuki, tears streaming down her face, ran to her room.

Mr. Sanban stormed over to Wally.

"You get out of my house!" he yelled at him. Wally jumped up and walked quickly out the door. Driving away awkwardly, he all the suddenly did not feel like hanging out with anyone. He dropped by Nigel's again, apologized for not wanting to hang out, and drove back home.

He entered his home, and his parents greeted him at the door.

"Hey, Sport! What's all this business about the hospital?" his dad questioned.

"It's nothing, Dad." Wally replied, not wanting to talk.

"Clearly," his dad replied rather sarcastically.

Ever since Wally had grown up, he has been more rebellious. Not only did it change him, it changed his family too. His father started to be more serious instead of laid-back and goofy. His mother, on the other hand, became calmer. She thought it would help him become a better listener if treated with care.

Wally stomped upstairs and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. '_What am I going to do?_' he questioned, as he threw his pillow on top of his head and tried to get some sleep. Soon after, Joey came in his room.

"Hey Wally," he said. Wally turned towards the door and propped himself up with his arm. "Hey, Joey."

"Wassa matter? You seem sad." Joey asked, cocking his head as if he were a dog.

"It's nothing. You wouldn't understand…"

"Is it about your girlfriend?" Joey asked, giggling.

"Girlfriend? Joey, she's not my girlfriend," Wally snapped at him. "But yeah, her," he admitted.

"Well what happened?" Joey asked, being the curious eleven-year-old he was.

"You promise not to tell anyone?" Wally said, with all seriousness.

"I'm in the Kids Next Door! It's my job to help people; even if they are teens!" Joey said proudly.

"Wait, what?" Wally questioned, confused, but decided to drop it. "Whatever. So you know that day I went over to my friends house?"

"Yeah! It was after that girl help you get your license!"

"Kuki," Wally said, correcting Joey. "Her name is Kuki."

"Right, Kuki. Go on!"

"Well," Wally started, as he told the story of the events that happened that night; the dares, the argument, the mugging, and Kuki's ban. Joey just sat and listened, totally engaged in the story. He had always looked up to his older brother. He wasn't an evil teen spy like most of Joey's friends his Sector.

"…And that's pretty much what happened," Wally finished, awaiting Joey's response.

"Sounds like Kuki likes you," Joey said, catching Wally way off guard.

"What do you mean by that?" Wally said, his anger starting to rise a little. If it were true that Kuki liked him, it would kill her not to be able to hang out with him.

"Well, you know. She just seems really caring and stuff. You know. She looks out for you."

"Well of course she's going to be nice to me, Joey. She's my friend," Wally said, trying to avoid thinking about the possibility that Kuki likes him.

"Wally, you and I both know that's not what I meant," Joey said, as he headed for the door. "I'm going to go play Halo now. Have fun thinking your life through!"

With that, Joey bounded out the door and down the stairs, leaving Wally to do exactly what Joey said-think.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this Chapter! It took forever because 1) I couldn't think and 2) I procrastinated! **  
**I made Joey like, really smart :D You know. Smarterthanwally. *cough* **


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. 7**

**(P.O.V : None)**

"Kuki, will you please just shut up!"

Mushi pounded on Kuki's door, trying to get her to seize the sobbing. It had been five hours since her father had yelled at her and Wally.

"Ugh, Kuki, you are impossible," Mushi yelled before she went back into her room.

When all of Kuki's tears were dried, she had nothing else to do but bury her face deep into her pillow. She felt miserable. '_Why do I even feel like this_,' she questioned herself. Never before had she felt this alone. She tried to find a word in her head that described her feelings, but only one word emerged – cruddy. She felt cruddy because of what her father did to Wally. Kuki pulled her journal out from her pillowcase and wrote in it.

_**Wow, I haven't written in forever; sorry about that, journal. I guess the only time I write is when I'm upset or something. It's good to get my voice out without fear of sounding stupid. Well, you know.**_

_**Anyways, I really miss Wally, and it's only been like, 5 hours! I don't even know why I care so much. He probably hates me or something cause of my dad. I wish I could talk to him or something. What if he yells at me at school tomorrow; oh, gosh. All right Kuki, time to stop writing before you make yourself freak out.**_

She closed her book, stuck it in her pillowcase, and reached for her sketchbook. Before she could even start drawing, her computer screen flashed.

**[Message From: Wally.]**

Kuki jumped from her bed to her computer desk and clicked the Instant Message tab.

**[Wally: U on?]**

**[Kuki: Now I am :P]**

**[Wally: Good. So lisen,]**

**[Kuki: You hate me now, don't you?:(]**

**[Wally: What? No! Y u think that?]**

**[Kuki: I think you know why. My dad totally yelled at you :/]**

**[Wally: Its fine, im telling u! Well, xcept now we cant c each other outside of skool.]**

**[Kuki: I know. Just promise you're not mad!]**

**[Wally: imnotmad!]**

**[Kuki: Whatever you say…]**

Nothing was said for a while, until Wally sent her another message.

**[Wally: Crud. I g2g help out the rents w/ chors. I guess ill c u 2marrow.]**

**[Kuki: By-]**

**[Wally has signed off.]**

'Oh,Wally…' Kuki said to herself. Feeling a little better from being able to talk to him, she quietly walked downstairs and got food, where her mother spotted her.

"Kuki?" Kuki froze. She didn't want to face anybody now, but she had to; it was how she was raised.

"Yes, Mom?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I too do not agree with your father's actions. However, he is your father. You need to respect his decisions."

"Mom, you don't understand! Wally is one of the only friends I have! It's not fair!" By this time, Kuki's eyes were filled with tears again.

"I'll talk with your father," Mrs. Sanban said, as she walked over and kissed her daughter goodnight.

* * *

The next morning, Kuki arrived at school almost being late. '_Thank goodness today is a half day!_' she said to herself, running to her first class with her teacher Mr. Bennings, There she saw Wally, and tried not to make too much eye contact. Wally was confused, and wanted to know why she was acting like this. "Kuki, what's wrong?" Kuki just glared sadly. Feeling awkward, Wally sat up straight and started to doodle on a scrap sheet of loose-leaf paper. Kuki glanced at his doodle and saw that he drew all of their friends. Wally sensed her staring and turned to her. "You like it," he mouthed. Kuki nodded and took out paper of her own. Twenty short minutes later, the bell rang. Kuki and Wally made their ways out to the door.

"See you fifth hour, Kuki," Wally said. Kuki just nodded. They exited the classroom and Wally stopped her in the hallway. "Kuki, don't worry," he started, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I'll find a way to fix this." With that, he turned around swiftly and walked to his next class, leaving Kuki there speechless.

"Hey, Wally!" Abby said, entering her second class that she shared with him.

"Hi."

"Boy, what's wrong?" Abby questioned as she sat down.

"What is **wrong** with her?" Wally exclaimed, slamming his fist against the desk. Abby jumped in her seat, and stared at him wide-eyed.

"What are you talkin' about?"

Sighing, Wally rubbed his hands through his hair then turned to Abby. "Kuki's been so…I don't know. It's like I don't even exist anymore."

Abby, frowning, sat there in silence. '_Should Abby tell him? Naw; it'll ruin everything! But, look at him...,_' she looked up at Wally, his eyes slightly pink and small bags under them.

"Listen, Wally. Kuki is just really upset...A lot has happened the past few days. Abby thinks it's just too much for her. She just doesn't want to upset you by not being able to-"

"But I **am** upset!" Wally yelled, looking as if he was about to tear up.

"Everything is going to be okay, you just wait," Abby said, attempting to pull him into a friendly hug.

"I don't _need_ a hug," Wally said, grumpily. Abby fastened her hat and leaned back in her chair, waiting for the bell to ring.

Meanwhile, at the Sanban house, Mrs. Sanban was watching the news.

"_In other news, a local gas station was the location of a mugging that happened late Friday night. Nobody was at the gas station at the time, but the security cameras caught a man mugging a boy, who looks to be eighteen,"_

Mrs. Sanban gasped and called to her husband. "Honey; come quickly!" Mr. Sanban rushed in the room and saw the footage of what happened to Wally and Kuki. Mrs. Sanban smiled at her husband's reaction, knowing that her daughter would come home to a nice surprise.

"…_The man was caught and was sentenced a lifetime in jail for attempted murder and for robbing the boy. What a story! Anything you would like to add, Sherel?"_

"_My, my; from what it seems, they could have both been dead if it weren't for their heroic actions. They must be very proud of themselves."_

"_Right you are, Sherel. Up next will be a story on an alligator found in a batht-" _

Mrs. Sanban shut off the television and hugged her husband. "Our daughter is a hero, Kani!"

"What have I done to our precious baby?"

"There's only one way to make it up to her," Mrs. Sanban said, hoping her husband understood where she was going with her words.

"I know, Genki," he said, giving up. His wife stood up and patted him on the back; then proceeded back to her at-home office desk.

Lunch started at school, and unlike normal, Kuki sat on the opposite side of Wally. Noticing it, Wally frowned towards Abby.

"What's wrong, girl?"

"It's nothing,"

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Abby said sternly, but caringly at the same time. Abby looked towards Nigel and winked. Nigel distracted Wally while Abby talked to Kuki.

"What was that about?" Kuki asked, confused.

"Well, how else was I going to distract him?"

"Why would you need to do that?"

"_Look at him," _Abby said, pointing out the anguish in Wally's face.

"Why's he so sa…Wait; is he upset because of…me?" Abby sadly nodded and Kuki covered her face with her hands. "What am I going to do?"

Wally looked over at Kuki and saw her. "Kuki? Kuki, you okay?"

Kuki looked up and smiled halfheartedly. "I'm fine,"

The bell rang, releasing everyone from school for the day. Kuki darted out as fast as she could, just wanting to be home for the day. It hurt her to see the pain she was causing Wally, but she couldn't disobey her father, even if he wouldn't know she was with him. The air was cool and brisk, and the wind blew steadily. Kuki shivered but kept walking until she got home.

When she arrived, nobody was home. She saw a note on the refrigerator.

_**Kuki, your father and I will be working late tonight. See you later on!**_

_**Love, Mom.**_

Kuki sighed. She hated when her parents worked late; they usually wouldn't get home until 10:30. She finished her homework, and, without anything else to do, took a long nap. She awoke to the sound of the house phone ringing.

"Hello," she answered, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey sis, it's Mushi. I'm staying at my friend's house for tonight. See you after school tomorrow!"

Before Kuki could even respond, Mushi hung up. Kuki checked the time. '_7:34. I might as well get dinner,_' she said to herself, whipping herself up a frozen t.v. dinner.

She ate and went back upstairs to play a while on her laptop. She opened iTunes and hit the 'shuffle' button. Various songs played and she sang along secretly. One song came on that made her heart skip a beat, not knowing why.

_We were both young, when I first saw you._

_I closed my eyes, and the flashback starts, I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air._

_See the lights, see the party the ball gowns._

_See you make your way through the crowd to say 'hello.'_

_Little did I know..._

_That you were Romeo and you were throwing pebbles, _

_And my daddy said, 'stay away from Juliet!'_

Suddenly, a sound came about that startled Kuki. She nervously got up, shaking, walking around slowly trying to find out the source of the crash. She looked out her window hesitantly and saw Wally standing there, smiling nervously.

"Wally? Wha…What are you doing out there? It's freezing," she called out to him.

"Kuki, I'm sorry; I know you're not supposed to see me, but you're worrying me!"

Kuki left the window, leaving Wally speechless. Wally's thoughts flew a mile a minute, not knowing what to do; he was interrupted from the front door opening. Kuki walked over and threw her arms around him, sobbing quietly. Her cold tears stung her face, but she didn't care.

"Kuki…," Wally said, stroking her hair softly. Feeling a chill go down his spine, he shivered. "Come on, Kuki. Let's go inside." Without hesitation, he walked her in and they sat on the couch. Kuki continued to weep, her arms back around Wally's torso, as he tried to calm her down.

"It'll be okay, Kuki…Just tell me what's wrong."

"I can't take it anymore, Wally!" Kuki said sniffling, before crying all over again.

"Don't cry, Kuki. I hate seeing you so sad," Wally said, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I miss being with you, too…"

"It's only been a _day_, Wally. I can't…It's hard…I…"

"I feel empty without you, too, Kuki," Wally said, hugging her back. They both sat there, in each other's embrace, until Kuki sniffed and broke the silence.

"Wally?"

"Yeah, Kooks?"

"It's so weird… I feel like I've known you before. I know it's a crazy feeling, but-"

"I feel the same way, too!" Wally said, dazed. They continued to sit on the couch, clutched, as the night got older. Wally began to caress her hair, and before they knew it, they were asleep in each other's arms.

Later on in the night, Mr. and Mrs. Sanban returned home. Mrs. Sanban looked over and saw the two in the same position they fell asleep in. Mrs. Sanban gazed sweetly, then turned to her husband who looked rather mad.

"Shh," she silenced him, before he tried to argue.

"But, that boy; in our house-"

"Don't you remember anything about when we met, Kani?" Mrs. Sanban questioned him quietly, as she reminisced her times as a teenager. Mr. Sanban just turned back around with a change of heart, and headed to his room.

"Goodnight, my little darlings," Mrs. Sanban called out quietly, as she turned out the rest of the lights and tiptoed into her room with her husband.

* * *

**_Gahhhhh! This chapter is so cute! It took forever because I could not think of the stupid beginning x.x;_**  
**_I'll try to update soon! LOVE YOU ALL!_**

**_THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I LOVE THEM! :D_**


	9. Chapter 9

I got this one done EXTRA early for you guys! OH HAPPY DAY!  
And thank each and EVERY one of you for the reviews! Every time I read one a huge smile grows in my heart :)

* * *

**Ch. 9  
(P.O.V : None)**

Wally awoke the next morning, confused. '_Where am I?_' He tried to move his arms to rub his eyes, when he felt his hands caught in Kuki's hair. '_Ah, crud._' Kuki woke up and saw the blurry body before her. Wally's heart stopped for a second when he realized he woke her up. '_Double crud!'_ he thought to himself, as he looked down and stared at Kuki. "Hey, Kuki," he said, speaking faintly.

"Wally? What time is it?" Wally stuffed his hands in this pocket to check his new phone (due to his old one destroyed by the mugger.)

"10:18," he murmured.

"Oh no; we're totally late for school!" Kuki yelled, as she started to breathe heavily. She had been almost late to school, and late once, (on the first day,) but never had she been _this_ late. Kuki hopped off the couch and ran to her parent's room to see if they were okay. Surely, her parents would never let her sleep in. Wally was exploring the house when he found a note in the kitchen.

_**Kuki & Wally –**_

_**Take today to sort things out; don't worry about school.**_

_**We understand what you're going through!**_

_**Love, Mom.**_

"Uh…Kuki? I think you might wanna read this!" Kuki came running out of the room, still breathing heavily and her heart still beating quickly.

"What does she mean, 'what we're going through'? We're not _going through_ anything!" Kuki asked, perplexed. She looked up at Wally who was red as a beet and a nervous look frozen on his face.

"Wally; You okay?" she took his wrist and led him over to the kitchen table. '_She knows… How could she tell? Why is Kuki so…oblivious? Doesn't she lo-'_ Wally's thoughts were interrupted by Kuki's angelic voice.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Kuki, listen," he started, not even sure what to say. Kuki sat down across from him, staring at him with a discerning look on her face. "You're the first girl I've actually _liked_ hanging out in…Who knows how long," Wally paused, trying to find the words to get his point through. "Ah, I don't know…All I'm trying to say is that I think I-"

Once again, Wally was interrupted- this time from his phone ringing. "Who the heck would be calling now," Wally said angrily, clicking the button on his phone.

"Dude, where are you," a voice said as soon as he answered.

"Hoagie, why are ya callin'? Don't you have class?"

"Don't _you_? Where are you?" Wally looked over at Kuki, who was now twirling her hair.

"I have some things to work out…," Wally said, still staring at Kuki, smiling.

"Oh," Hoagie said, pausing. "So…Where is Kuki?" Wally snapped at Hoagie, although he was not sure why he was annoyed in the first place.

"Isn't there more to life than asking questions; Gosh!" Wally hung up his phone and hit his hand on the table. Kuki finally spoke up after a few quiet seconds.

"You think you what, Wally?"

"Wha?" Wally murmured back.

"You said, 'I think I', then you were interrupted by the phone."

"Oh, nothing," Wally grumbled, not feeling up to talking anymore. '_Stupid Hoagie ruining the cruddy moment… I could've finally told her!'_

"Please tell me," Kuki begged, trying to make her best puppy-dog eyes as possible.

"Nevermind, **okay**?" Wally yelled, making Kuki just stare at the ground. Wally turned around, resting his elbow on the back at the chair, and stared at the carpet. Kuki looked towards him and just stared. '_Last night was so…nice. Why can't it be like _that_ again?_' Kuki reached over and grabbed the sketchbook on the counter and a pencil left on the table and started doodling. She didn't know what she was going to draw; she just started. Wally looked over at her drawing and smiled. "Nice drawing," he said in a monotone voice. Kuki looked up at him and smiled a half-smile, and as her eyes met the paper again, she started to turn red. 'Why _did I just draw Wally?_' she questioned herself.

"You wanna watch T.V. or something," Wally asked, breaking her thoughts. She looked at the time. _'It's only 10:32?_' she wondered. She got up, walked to the living room, and sat on the couch; Wally followed. Kuki turned on the T.V. and flipped through the channels, examining each one.

"Why didn't you children tell me you could dance?"

_**-click-**_

"She's fabulous, but she's evil."

_**-click-**_

"Three quiet? What the crud does that mean?"

Kuki kept flipping through channels, when she paused for a second.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. Every time I see him I get butterflies in my stomach but my heart is soaring."

"Girl, you're in love!"

"Love? But we're_ just_ friends!"

"Maybe you should take a chance and-"

_**-click-**_

Kuki stared at the T.V. in a daze. '_Lo…Love?_' Kuki thought to herself, and quickly eyeballed Wally. She wasn't sure why, but she started shaking. Wally ran over to the other couch and grabbed her.

"Kuki, are you okay?" Kuki stared in his eyes, seeing only the caring side of him; the side that she loved.

"I…I need to lie down," she murmured, feeling a little dizzy. Wally took her in his arms and carried her into her room. After laying her in her bed, Wally brushed her bangs out of her face then placed his hand on her forehead. For a second, he looked around her room and gulped. Looking back down at her, smiling sweetly, his hand slid down to her cheek. Getting redder by the millisecond, he did what would have been the unthinkable to him as he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The next two seconds was like an explosion of emotions happening inside of the both of them- happiness, fear, angst, and most of all, love. As he pulled back, they were both flushed pink like roses, but they didn't care. Kuki, in tears of happiness, threw her arms around him, pulling him down. With a grunt, Wally's head was buried in her neck as she held him tightly, the tears now streaming down. She let go, wiping the tears off her face.

"Take a nap now, Kooks. I'll be here when you wake up," Wally said, as he stroked her hair again, before starting to get up.

"Wait!" Kuki said, her voice cracking. Wally turned back around to her.

"Lay here with me," she imposed sweetly. Wally, turning red again, slowly crawled into her bed, propping up his body with his elbow. He once again started to caress her hair as she happily started to go to sleep.

"I love you, Kooks," Wally whispered faintly.

"I love you too, Wally," Kuki replied, surprising Wally, as he thought she was already asleep. Soon enough, they were both asleep, painting a beautiful picture of _pure_ love.

_**Thursday, December 19 – **_

_**I can't believe what has been going on the past few weeks. First of all, Wally KISSED me. It's really hard to explain, but I loved it. And he told me he LOVED me. That's like… I now know that I too love him. We haven't told the others about any of this, though. Or at least I hope Wally hasn't. But I know him; I don't think he would've. Anyways, the school dance is tomorrow night! None of us have 'dates' yet, but I'm hoping, and I mean, REALLY hoping, that Wally will take me. I think Hoagie and Abby should go together. Poor Nigel, though. The thought of him dateless is pretty silly. I'm rambling to myself! Bye, journal!**_

After Kuki was done writing in her journal, she hopped out of her bed to get ready for school. Friday was the last day of school until the late beginning of January, which meant one of Kuki's favorite holidays: Christmas!

When she got to school, she met up with everyone sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria.

"Hey Abby; Who are you going to the dance with," Kuki asked Abby, bouncing in her seat.

"I don't know," she started, shrugging. "Nobody has asked Abby yet."

"Allow _me_ to be the first," a voice said behind her. She turned around to see Hoagie leaning against a pole, shooting her a flirty smile. He leaned back a little bit more, but to his dismay, ended up slipping from the glossy texture of the pole.

"Boy, you _cannot_ pull that off!" Abby said, laughing, before Hoagie got up.

"I thought I did pretty good," Hoagie said, frowning.

"Come sit down," Abby invited him, while still laughing with the others. Hoagie accepted her invitation, still blushing from slipping. After he cleared his throat, he asked,

"So…Would you go with me?"

"As long as you _never_ do that again, fool!" Abby said, glaring at him jokingly. Hoagie gleamed with happiness as he took her hand.

"You've got yourself a deal," he said, shaking her hand vigorously. He looked over at Kuki and winked, then mouthed 'Thanks.' Kuki giggled and thought to herself, '_Mission accomplished. I should help him out more often,_'

Suddenly, Kuki's vision went out as she felt a pair of cold hands over her face. "Wally; stop it," she yelled happily, flailing her arms in the air. He sat down next to her as they both laughed happily.

"Hey guys, what's new?" Nigel said as he sat down.

"My date to the dance," Hoagie yelled, still gleaming.

"It's not a date," Abby said petulantly.

"Just a reminder, students; make sure you have dates to tomorrow night's dance! And be prepared; the bell will be ringing in ten minutes," one of the administrators said from the podium.

"Case closed," Hoagie said, smirking. Abby took off her hat to strike Hoagie with it.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Hoagie said, flinching. Abby smiled and placed her hat back on.

"So, Kuki, who are _you_ going to the dance with," Nigel asked.

"Um…Nobody," Kuki asked unsurely, shrugging and slightly blushing.

"You should get _Wally_ to take you," Hoagie teased. Abby smacked herself in the forehead. '_Hasn't this boy learned yet? He knows he's just gonna get hit,_' she thought to herself. Wally shot Kuki a glance, smirking.

"Okay then," Wally started, shrugging. "I _will_," he finished, with both of his hands spread out on the edge of the table, and his eyebrow raised.

"What; no hitting me, insulting me, or anything like that?" Hoagie asked, shocked at his response.

"I think he already got you, from the looks of _all_ your faces," Kuki said, pointing out everyone's stupefied faces, then high-fiving Wally. They dropped their hands under the table, and Kuki slightly curled her fingers into Wally's. He went wide-eyed for a second, looked down, and then put on a more relaxed expression. The bell rang, and everyone got up to proceed to their classes. Nigel spotted the two teen's grasp- that didn't last long after they stood up- and nudged Abby and Hoagie.

"What is it?" Abby quietly mumbled, knowing it had to be secret if Nigel had to prod them. They waited until Wally and Kuki were ahead of them, until Nigel spoke up.

"I just saw them holding hands! Well, okay, it was more like holding fingers, but _still_!"

"You _sure_ that's what you saw? Maybe it was just your glasses messing with your view," Hoagie said skeptically.

"Are you _that_ oblivious, man?" Abby asked, not believing Hoagie. "Those two _adore_ each other."

"I knew it!" Nigel celebrated.

"I guess… But hey," Hoagie yelled bitterly. "How come I always got hit when I talked about them liking each other?"

"You were teasing them, fool! Love isn't something to joke about!"

"I'm on Abby's side with this one. Maybe you'll understand it too, someday," Nigel said, as he and Abby waved bye to go to their classes. Hoagie kept walking, slower this time, and mumbled aloud.

"But I _do_…"

* * *

**_Awww, Poor Hoagie!_**  
**_*snuggles*_**  
**_It's okay, we luff you._**

**_So yeah. Don't laugh at my attempt for the kissing scene. I've never written one before so... ^^;_**

**_HOPE YA ENJOYED. I'LL TRY TO UPDATE A-S-A-NOW! _**


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10  
(P.O.V : None)

The school bell rang while over two-thousand anxious kids fled the school, wanting to be home. Wally and Nigel, who had the same seventh hour, walked out talking about what they were going to do after the dance on Friday.

"I dunno, we could have another party at my tree house," Nigel suggested.

"Fine by me," Wally shrugged, walking on his toes trying to find Kuki.

"Looking for someone?" Wally heard behind him.

"Not anymore," he said smiling, forgetting Nigel was there in the first place. Nigel walked awkwardly beside them, waiting for one of them to say something to him. '_Geeze, those two are impervious,_' Nigel said to himself, shaking his head. '_Oh well, at least they're happy,_'

"Anyone in there," Nigel heard a voice ask him.

"Oh, sorry about that; I was just thinking…," Nigel said, trailing off as he watched a girl walking, her books clutched in her arms. He's always seen the girl around school, but never has he talked to her. As the hallway got more crowded, more people started pushing their ways out of other's; that was when Valerie decided to get some space of her own, shoving the girl down. Unaware kids accidentally kicked or stepped on her, that eventually led to her being yelled at by them. Nigel ran over to help up the girl.

"You okay," he asked, concerned.

"In all honesty, not really," she replied as she tried to get the scattered papers back in her books.

"Let me help you," he proffered, picking up the papers one by one so more dirt wouldn't tarnish them.

"Thanks," she said sweetly, attaining the stack of papers from him and setting them in her book.

"What's your name," Nigel asked, gathering himself.

"Rachael. Rachael McKenzie," she replied as they stood up.

"I'm Nigel," he said, scanning the hallway to find Wally and Kuki.

"Nice to meet you," Rachael said as they started walking slowly. Impetuously, Nigel blurted out, "You going to tomorrow's dance?"

"I was; with my friends. But not anymore. They're all flaking out on me," she said disappointedly.

"Oh," Nigel said, smiling at the idea that formed in his head. "Would you want to come with me and my friends?"

"Really? That would be great!" Rachael said, now smiling.

"Awesome! If you're not doing anything, we could go somewhere so you could meet them," Nigel started, but realized he might have been taking it too fast. "That is, if you want to," he said, finishing his statement.

"I'd love to! I know this great place that we could meet at then eat dinner!"

"Cool," Nigel said, as they took a moment to exchange phone numbers.

"So…I'll text you later!" Rachael called out before boarding the school bus.

"Awesome," Nigel said, running off to locate Wally and Kuki. After he finally caught up with them, Kuki asked, "Where did you _go_?"

Later on that night, Nigel, Abby, Hoagie, Kuki, and Wally all sat in a booth in The Base, a new eatery including an arcade, comfy couches, and small televisions at each table. Nigel was tapping his fingers impatiently with his eyes glued on the front door.

"So, what are we waiting for again?" Abby inquired.

"I don't know, but I'm about to hit the arcade," Hoagie said, staring at the hundreds of glowing buttons and controllers from across the room.

"She's here!" Nigel yelled, waving his hands in the air trying to get Rachael's attention. She walked over as Nigel scooted over in the both, accidentally shoving Hoagie.

"Ow," Hoagie grumbled.

"Hello, everyone," Rachael said, waving. "I'm Rachael,"

"Hello, Rachael; nice to meet you!" Kuki chirped.

"Sup, girl?" Abby added.

"Hey," Wally murmured, tossing her a nod.

"Rachael will be joining us at the dance; her friends _totally _blew her off."

"Man, that ain't cool!" Abby grumbled.

"Yeah, well, it's fine, really. They're not very nice, anyways," Rachael said, trying to forget the people she hung out with.

The six teens ate dinner, then made their separate ways; the boys heading off to the arcade while the girls got acquainted and talked about 'girl stuff.' It was about eight o'clock, after three hours, that they finally decided to head home.

Arriving at Rachael's house, Nigel walked her up to her doorstep. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," Rachael replied happily, as she opened the front door. "Good night," she finished, and then shut the door behind her. Nigel ran back to his car full of excitement; he couldn't wait until the dance. He drove home, thinking of all the fun him and his friends were going to have Friday night. Arriving home, he ran straight upstairs, changed, brushed his teeth, and went straight to bed. After all, the faster you get to sleep, the quicker Friday would come!

Wally fastened his tie and brushed his hair over to the side. "You really think she'll like it," he asked, his voice aimed at his computer.

"Dude, you look awesome. Don't sweat it!"

"Thanks Hoagie. I…I guess I'm just a little nervous," he replied back chuckling to Hoagie, who could be seen from Wally's computer with the help of a webcam. Wally took in a deep breath, then stepped back for Hoagie's final approval. "How do I look?"

"Good, but one thing…"

"What," Wally asked, a tad confused.

"…You forgot your pants."

"I'm coming!" Kuki said, her voice raised so that whomever was outside her door could here her. She opened the door to Abby, who had decided earlier to get ready for the dance at Kuki's house.

"Hey Kuki!" she said, greeting her with a friendly hug.

"Hey Abby," she said, letting her in to escape the cold air outside. "I cannot wait! Just think; in a couple of hours, I'll be hanging out with my best friends at my first dance in years!"

Abby smiled set her bag of clothes in the living room. She loved seeing Kuki as the happy girl she is. To break the somewhat-peaceful silence, Abby murmured, "So…I guess we're going to Nigel's after the dance?"

"Can't wait for that either! Tonight is a night we'll never forget…" Kuki ran upstairs to change, as Abby made her way to the bathroom. After they were done changing, they both helped each other do their make-up, (although there wasn't much) and watched T.V. Remembering, Abby jumped up. "My tickets; I left them at home! I gotta go, Kuki. See you at the dance!" Kuki watched Abby as she got in her car and drove home. Half an hour after turning her attention to the T.V., she heard a knocking at the door. '_Back already?_' she thought as she got up to answer the door. As she pulled it open, a gust of cold air blew into the house, making her squint and rub her arms. "Hey, Abby!" she said as she was rubbing her eyes. She opened them only to see a black figure in front of her, back turned, staring at a nearby house's Christmas lights.

"Why, I never remember my parents naming me _that_," the figure said, as it turned around.

"Wally!" Kuki said, chuckling.

"Hey Koo-" he began, before stopping immediately. He stood there, astonished, as he scanned Kuki's ankle-long sea-green dress, his mouth halfway open. Decorated with frills at the bottom and sparkles throughout the rest of the dress, it looked stunning, especially on her.

"Wo-won't you come in, Wally?" Kuki said, blushing. Wally stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Kuki…You look…Magnificent!" Kuki smiled and her blush deepened. "Thanks," she started. "You look…impressive," she said before pausing. She scanned his tuxedo, surprised. His black suit complemented the white undershirt and orange tie. She smiled, knowing that he'd find some way to wear orange. She searched her mind for something to stay, until something sly came up. "Did you actually brush your hair for once?"

"Hey, don't get used to it," he replied, just as slyly. Wally checked his cell phone for the time. "We still have an hour before we meet the others at the school. I guess we could watch T.V. until then," Wally suggested. Kuki smiled and nodded as she headed over to the couch. Taking a seat next to her, Wally picked up the remote and changed the channel.

"Hey! That's one of my favorite shows!" Kuki objected, taking the remote back.

"It's a cruddy girly show! Plus, ya can always record it!" Wally replied back, snatching the remote from the unsuspecting Kuki's hands.

"Give it back!" Kuki exclaimed, reaching over to try to grasp the remote again. Wally stretched his arm higher so that Kuki couldn't reach. Kuki changed positions from sitting on her rear to her knees and reached once more, the extra height allowing her to succeed. She pulled the remote as hard as she could, but Wally barely budged. Kuki stopped pulling for a moment, only to catch him off-guard. Pulling the remote unexpectedly, Wally lost his balance on the couch and the force pulled him forward. Revengefully, Wally pulled the remote even harder, causing Kuki to topple over him. Laughing hysterically, both Kuki and Wally found themselves off the couch and onto the floor, only to cause more laughing. Their faces, turning red from the closeness but also the lack of breath, couldn't have had a happier expression. After minutes of laughing, Wally finally gathered himself together, still laughing between every few words. "Okay, Kuki! You win," he finally said, tossing the remote in her direction. Brushing off her dress, she stood up. "Why thank you," she said, still chuckling, as she repositioned herself on the couch. After finally catching their breath, they both had their eyes glued to the T.V. as they waited for time to pass.

Hoagie knocked on Abby's door, his head held high. Behind him, he held a bouquet of flowers and a bag of Mars Mallows, which he overheard Abby saying were her favorite. Abby answered the door to see Hoagie grinning, his smile ear to ear. "Hey Hoagie" Abby said with a stressed out tone in her voice.

"What's wrong, Abby?" Hoagie asked, his grin decreasing.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to lie, but failed. "Okay, it's not nothing; I…I lost my ticket!"

Hoagie, grinning again, laughed slightly. "It's fine Abby," he said, trying to comfort her. "I tried to get your attention, but you were so excited about getting home, I couldn't! Anyways, you left your ticket at lunch, so I figured I would just hold it… for…you?" His last three words slowed as his voice came squeaky with fear. Abby, looking furious, finally exploded.

"You_ idiot_! I've been looking for those tickets all night! All night! You couldn't have called or texted? Do you know how much stress Abby went through?" By the time Abby was done yelling at Hoagie, she felt immediate remorse. Hoagie, looking mortified, hands shook until he dropped the bag of Mars Mallows. Abby looked down upon the fallen bag and felt her heart crack. She bent down to pick them up, making Hoagie flinch, him still being scared.

"Hoagie, I…," she tried to find the right way to apologize, but just couldn't find the right words. Hoagie, still shaking slightly, pulled the bouquet of flowers from behind his back with the other hand. Abby took the flowers and set them on the table right by her front door, then pulled Hoagie into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Hoagie," she said in the kindest tone she had, her voice cracking slightly.

"Anything for you, Abby!" He said, examining her outfit when parting. Her knee-long dark blue dress complimented her red bracelets and red high-heels, while the white stripe at the bottom of her dress stood out the most. "You look beautiful, Abby," he said with a warm smile. She eyed his light blue tuxedo, a matching pair of pants, and took note of his lack of aviator goggles and hat. She reached up and ran her hair through his bangs swiftly. "You look amazing, too, Hoagie." Checking his wristwatch, Hoagie noticed it was almost time to meet everybody else at the dance.

"Well, the dance will start soon. Shall we go," Hoagie asked, opening the door for her. Abby grabbed a sweater and followed Hoagie out to his car. They drove off together, awaiting the events happening in the next few hours.

Back at Kuki's house, Wally decided it was time for them to go as well. "I guess we should be going," he said as he stood up from the couch. Kuki followed him to the front door and they both stepped out, embracing the cold December air. Kuki headed for Wally's car, as he called out to her.

"Hey Kuki? I was kinda wondering if you'd want to walk to the dance. If ya don't want to, I can dr-" Wally was interrupted by Kuki, who grabbed his hand and started towards the school. As they walked, the only sounds they could hear were crickets chirping, some cars passing by, and the faint music from the dance. Kuki shivered, and Wally took off his jacket and wrapped it around her arms. She looked up at him and smiled, then laid her hand on Wally's, which was still on her shoulder. He blushed, but shook it off; it was too beautiful of a night.

Everyone arrived at the dance and met up with each other. They drank many glasses of punch, ate as much food as their stomachs could hold, and talked all about what they planned to do at the tree house. While everyone danced, Wally refused to and stood in the back, watching Kuki being forced to dance with Abby and Rachael. He smirked at the sight, and looked over to the table where they all had their things piled. Squinting from the bright lights, he saw somebody going through Abby's bag. Enraged, he ran over to the kid and picked him up by his collar.

"Hey, ya cruddy thief! What do ya think you're doing going through my friend's stuff?" the kid squirmed, but that only make Wally hold his grip tighter. He tried to scream, but the kid couldn't be heard from the loud music and chatty teens.

"Put me down! I'll tell you!" he managed to say, squirming more than ever. Wally put him down and the kid took off. Wally was not about to waste his energy on the kid, until he spotted some money in his hands that he had stolen from Abby's bag. He chased the kid, yelling at him and pushing kids out of the way. Finally, after catching up with the kid, he tackled him and raised his fists, about to punch him. He felt a cold hand touch his, which made him turn around. He saw one of the dance administrators standing above him, sneering, and kicked him out. Along the way, Wally yelled and screamed to the kid about 'killing him' later on, but nobody could hear him.

The song the girls and the two remaining boys were listening to ended, as they made their way towards their things. "Where's Wally?" Kuki questioned, looking all around for him.

"Probably to the bathroom," Nigel murmured, causing Kuki to only nod. They all waited for Wally to come out of the bathroom, until Kuki was the only one left. Wally watched her from one of the school windows in the cold, screaming out her name, trying to get her attention. Back inside the school, the DJ played slower music, as couples got together and slow danced together. Kuki still stood there, waiting for Wally, until he couldn't take it. Sneaking his way back into the dance, he met up with Kuki.

"Where were you?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'll tell ya later," he said, as he stood there nervously. Kuki turned and watched all the other couples dance. Her concentration was broken when Wally tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Kooks? Would…Would you like to dance," he asked, extending his hand to her. Kuki happily accepted as they made their way to the dance floor.

"Just to warn ya, Kuki. I can't dance well," he said, chuckling. Kuki laughed back and showed her ask well as she could how to slow dance. They danced together, lost in each other's eyes. The slow music, dim lights, and relaxing atmosphere set the moment perfectly. Wally slowly leaned forward, and Kuki squealed happily. As they were about to touch lips, the same dance administrator yanked Wally by the shoulder and kicked him out once more; this time, a detention following. Kuki found the others and told them about being kicked out, and they all gathered their things and headed outside, where Wally said on a bench, shivering and grumbling to himself. The touch of Kuki's hand on his shoulder startled him, but his expression changed when he saw everyone standing there.

"Sorry for ruining the night, guys," Wally said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You didn't ruin it!" Nigel reassured him.

"Yeah! And besides, what got you kicked out in the first place," Rachael asked. Wally turned red with anger as he remember the kid. "I saw some punk try to steal Abby's money while I wasn't lookin', so I beat the crud outta him," he said in an angry tone.

"What?" Abby yelled, furious. Hoagie patted her shoulder, calming her down.

"It's okay; I got the money back," Wally started. "But if I ever see him again, I'll beat him up _again_!" he finished, yelling.

"It'll be okay, Wally," Kuki said, her violet eyes glimmering, making Wally calm down.

"Let's say we all head back to my place," Nigel said. Everyone agreed, gathered their things, and headed towards the cars.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11  
(P.O.V : None)

They all arrived at Nigel's house; Wally and Kuki riding with Nigel and Rachael, Hoagie and Abby in a separate car. When they entered the tree house, it was dark, the lights coming on minutes later.

"Wow; seems like just yesterday we were here!" Hoagie exclaimed. They walked to the main room, and noticed the sleeping bags and duffel bags they had forgot to take home from the last time they had all gathered there. Chuckling, they grabbed the clothes from the leftover bags and changed into more comfortable clothing. They all sat down on the floor, trying to decide what to do. Kuki shot up and waved her hands around. "We could play trut-"

"No!" Wally exclaimed, cutting her off. There was a small silence, before Wally spoke up again. "Not after last time…" It got quiet it again, and nobody said anything. Abby watched at the floor, Nigel and Rachael looked out the window, Hoagie twiddled his thumbs, and Wally stared at Kuki with a sad expression. The silence was uncomfortable, but to everyone's relief, Hoagie spoke up.

"We could explore the tree house more!" Everyone seemed to have liked the idea, them all getting up at the same time. They walked all around the tree house, amazed at the size of it. It had been 30 minutes, and they haven't even finished looking through the first floor! They decided to explore in the upper floors, and had a blast doing it. Every once in a while, a hamster would scurry across the floor, causing Kuki to scream and cling on to the closest person to her. Soon after they explored the 5th floor, they came across a room with a bunch of boxes.

"Let's go check them out!" Kuki squealed happily. Everyone smirked at her, and walked over to the boxes. Kuki opened one, finding a big pillow, some weights, and a picture with a green '3' on it with a heart next to it. She giggled and put it back, and skipped off to another box.

Rachael and Abby were looking through a giant box; seeing things like mini gumball machines attached to water guns, planks of wood connected to a hinge and magnet, and what looked like to be a mustard gun. They picked up the strange magnets, examining them, but decided to put them back in the box.

Wally found a box full of hamster supplies, such as giant plastic balls and toilet paper rolls, and Hoagie found a giant box _filled_ with stuffed animals.

"Hey, guys; look at this!" Nigel called out, grabbing the attention of everyone else. They all walked towards Nigel, who was holding a box full of pictures. After picking up and examining some pictures, Kuki froze.

"Eh, Kooks? S'anything wrong?" Wally asked, noticing her eyes widened and not moving.

"Yeah, _Kooks_," Hoagie mocked, snickering the entire time. Kuki remained where she was, completely lost in thought. Memories instantly flooded her mind, overwhelming her, like a gallon of water being poured into a small cup.

_Numbuh 4, the second youngest in Sector V, had turned twelve only a few months ago. They all sat at the table, eating Rainbow Munchies Cereal, like they did every morning. He noticed one of his closest friends, Numbuh 3, looked rather sad, which was _very_ unusual for her. "Numbuh 3, you look kinda blue. What's up?"_

_Kuki looked up, and spoke very quietly. "In almost a year, we're all going to be thirteen..." she paused, and tried to catch her breath. Her voice became shaky and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to leave you guys!"_

_Numbuh 4 jumped from his chair and walked over to her. "It will be okay, Kuki," Numbuh 4 said, trying to comfort her._

"_Yeah," Numbuh 2 added, taking another bite of his cereal. "And besides, maybe they will let us stay in the KND longer if we prove to be good enough."_

"_Then we won't _have_ to forget each other," Numbuh 1 said, his eyes peeking over his trademark glasses._

"_I guess," Numbuh 3 said, sniffing. "But what if you're wrong? What if, we aren't good enough; then what?"_

_Wally, being much taller now, bent down to meet her eyes. "We will just have to wait and see, now won't we?" He stood back up and stuck a smile on his face. "Come on, everyone! Let's go play videogames or somethin'!" Everyone got up and put on a cheerful attitude, even Numbuh 3, who was blushing faintly for what Numbuh 4 had done. Numbuh 2 leaned over to Numbuh 5, who was following the rest of the team slowly. _

"_Why is Numbuh 4 all cheerful and stuff? He's not usually like this."_

"_Didn't you hear?" Numbuh 5 said, lowering her voice. "Numbuh 4 is-" Numbuh 5 cut herself off, and leaned over to Numbuh 2's ear._

"_**WHAT?**__" Numbuh 2 exclaimed, gasping._

"_Shut it, fool! Numbuh 3 doesn't know yet, so _don't_ say anything."_

"_Well is she ever going to find out?"_

"_If Numbuh 4 tells her…Hopefully, soon…" Numbuh 5 said, as they finally entered the main room. Numbuh 2 stared at Numbuh 4. He didn't know what to think. They were definitely going to have to talk later on._

_They all spent the next few hours playing and having a great time. Numbuh 2 challenged Numbuh 4 to some videogames, and Numbuh 3 had a tea party with herself. When it was time for lunch, they all decided to go out to eat. They all climbed in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and took off, flying at over 70 miles an hour._

"_Hey Wally, when we get back," Numbuh 3 started, swaying on her seat. Numbuh 4 turned to her. "Yea?"_

"_Could you play Rainbow Monkeys with me?" She knew the answer would most likely be no, but she still liked asking. _

"_Eh," Wally started, shrugging. "I s'pose so." _

_Numbuh 3 jumped in her seat and squealed. Everyone else stared at Numbuh 4, puzzled. He sneered at them, causing them to go back what they were doing beforehand. Wally turned his chair around back to the screen in front of him and stared at it emptily. He _needed_ to tell her; he just didn't know how. He looked at the screen, seeing Numbuh 3's cheerful grin in the reflection. '_Oh, Kuki…_' he thought to himself, chuckling. She was always so delighted. He loved that about her. He loved a lot of things about her; her eyes, her hair, the list could go on. His thorough concentration on her was broken by her sweet, angelic voice. "Wally, come on! We've been here for 5 minutes!" Numbuh 4 snapped back into reality, slightly confused._

"_Eh, what?"_

"_Just come on, silly!" Numbuh 3 said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. After stumbling for a few feet, Numbuh 4 finally regained his balance and pulled his arm away._

"_Sorry, Numbuh 3; you were just pullin' me too hard," he muttered, rubbing his arm. Numbuh 3 chuckled and pulled up his sleeve. "There's nothing there! Stop being a big baby."_

"_There doesn't always hafta be marks there to be hurt, ya know," Numbuh 4 stated, Numbuh 3 nodding in defeat. _

"_I guess," she replied. "By the way, what _were_ you thinking about earlier? You seemed pretty concentrated."_

_Numbuh 4 stopped in his tracks. "It was nothing," he said quickly, turning red._

"_Aw, come on, Wally! _Everyone_ uses that excuse! Can't you just tell me?"_

"_No, now can we go inside? It's like, eleventy-hundred degrees out here!" Numbuh 4 exclaimed, trying to cover up his obvious blush._

"_Fine," Numbuh 3 pouted, giving up. She knew at this point she wasn't going to get Numbuh 4 to talk. They walked in the fast-food restaurant and searched for the others. _

"_Over here," they heard a voice call out to them. Numbuh 3 skipped over to the table while Numbuh 4 trailed behind, finding a small smile creep on his face._

"_What took you so long?" Numbuh 2 asked, his mouth full of fries._

"_Wally was just _thinking_ again," Numbuh 3 said. "And got lost in there."_

_Defending himself, Numbuh 4 shot words back to her. "Hey, I was thinking of you-" he caught himself, stretching out the 'u' sound. "-uuunicorns! I was thinking of unicorns. It would be cool to see one, dontcha think? They're like, horses that could stab ya with the horns! But not one of them girly ones, no! A cool, big, strong-"_

"_Just let it go, Numbuh 4," Numbuh 5 said, rolling her eyes. It was obvious to everyone that he liked Numbuh 3-everyone, except herself._

"_I guess it would be cool to see a unicorn! But a nice one; not a scary one," Numbuh 3 said happily. Numbuh 4 smirked and rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go get food. Whadda ya want, Numbuh 3?"_

"_Chicken nuggets, as usual!" she replied, happy that Numbuh 4 offered to get food for her. "Thanks Wally!" Numbuh 4 nodded and walked off to the counter._

"_Why do you do that, Numbuh 3?" Hoagie asked._

"_Sorry for answering your question with a question, but do what?" Numbuh 3 replied, rather confused. _

"_You call Numbuh 4 by his real name…A lot."_

"_Oh," Numbuh 3 said, not really sure why she does it either. "Don't know," she finally said, after failing to realize why. They all sat in silence until Numbuh 4 returned with the food. _

"_Here ya go, Numbuh 3!" Numbuh 3 smiled, taking the food. While they ate, there was barely any conversation. It was peaceful, especially because there was a lack of argument. Once they had all finished eating, the climbed back into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and flew back to the tree house to spend the rest of the day relaxing._


End file.
